The Shadow Of Mana
by Meteorthunder3
Summary: AU: Born without chakra, Naruto is neglected by his clan in favor of his twin siblings. Mocked and abandoned what happens when in a stroke of luck he discovers a lost civilization ruined by time? Perhaps there's a way to fight even without Chakra after all and what if Kyuubi wasn't a demon...but something more... Minato and Kushina Alive. OOC characters. Revising a bit.
1. Prolouge edited

The Shadow of Mana

Prolouge

AN: Hello, this is another story of mine that I had thought about. I'm still not sure about this story though but I hope you all like it. Oh and if you have any suggestions please please please pm your idea to me! :D I would love to hear it. Oh and Warning here a couple of the characters will be OOC and this is basically an AU story.

Oh and I edited it for a bit, sorry I've been away, college and all that. Plus I feel like I should rewrite a bit, I noticed that I made a lot of mistakes and I intend to correct them.

Anyways I hope you enjoy!

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_**Shadows dance among the spirit of the Forgotten**_

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Wherever the sun travels, shadows appear and thrive in its path. Shadows conceal and hide whatever they touch; sometimes they even disappear.

"_Look… it's him"_

Shinobi can learn to utilize the shadows when the dark of night is absent, yet they too fall prey to the shadows capability to erase a presence.

"_Poor child"_

Forgetting about the dangers lurking in the shadows is certain death where the naked eye will never open to the world again.

"_What an embarrassment…"_

But sometimes, a shadow doesn't have to be seen to render someone… or something invisible, it can also be present and casted by humans.

"_Don't be seen going anywhere near him"_

It was said that the Nara clan of the Leaf Village can control the shadows, but do they truly know how dangerous shadows can be? Or how powerful it is?

"…_disgrace to the clan….."_

"…_weakling…"_

"…_useless…"_

"_Hey it's the loser-"_

"_I feel sorry for him"_

Once trapped in a shadow, it takes a long and hard process before one can free their life without help.

One might be wondering, who are the people whispering about? Well, it's all towards a small young blond haired boy walking silently along the road, covering his sad and dim dark blue eyes with some of his spiky blond hair hiding it from view.

"_You think his contagious?"_

"_Hope not, I'd like my son to be a shinobi"_

'_They're all the same'_ He thought, his misty eyes hidden from view, giving away no other emotion but sadness.

The little boy was none other than Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the 7 year old disappointment and the pariah of the Uzumaki clan, the shadowed son of Kushina and Minato Namikaze.

"_I heard that the last person who tried to befriend him died"_

"_Not surprised that he was banished from the clan"_

Things were always like this for the poor soul. Always getting talked about behind his back, spreading rumors and lies that have never been proven save for some obvious ones.

Naruto shakily stood up and was about to walk towards a corner when he heard the people who were once mocking him now shoot out phrases.

"_Look! It's the Heroes!"_

"_Oh no! Do I look okay? Is my hair nice?"_

"_Kyaaa! Arashi-sama is soooo cool!"_

"_Man with you guys around Konoha is invincible!"_

Naruto looked on and wasn't surprised when he saw that the main recipients of these praises were none other than his ever loving and so called "_family"_ walking on one of the roads.

His parents were holding each other hand and waving at the crowds looking as if everything was going fine and dandy. In front of the couple was his older brother Arashi Uzumaki Namikaze a prodigy in his own right with a fan club fuelling his enlarged ego.

Arashi was a tall red-headed prodigy, making Chunin at the age of 9 and is currently 11 years old. There were also some rumors that Arashi was being called as the second coming of the flash, or simply as the "**Red Flash**". He stood with a rather proud posture and a smug smirk as his sea foam green eyes gazed among the crowd of fangirls squealing his name repeatedly.

However, among them all the one Naruto envied the most were the two suns casting a shadow over his presence; The Twin Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, Shinji Uzumaki Namikaze and Hikari Uzumaki Namikaze.

The "Saviors" of the village, the Jailors of the Mighty Kyuubi, The Protectors of Konoha, and the fiery suns of the Leaf. These are just some nicknames given to the two children.

Shinji had the same blond hair as their **father** with the same bright blue eyes while Hikari had her mother's hair and the same eyes as well. Both were terribly spoiled but still have the potential to become just as good as the '**Red Death**' and the '**Yellow Flash**' with their tutors and chakra enhanced stamina.

'_It's not fair._' Naruto thought. '_Just because __**father**__ sealed the two halves of the Kyuubi in them doesn't make them better than other shinobis. I bet that there are tons of stronger people out there.'_

He continued on, turning his back to the Namikazes and Uzumakis, hiding his tear stained eyes. '_I want to be part of that too. I don't care about the dumb reputation… I just want to be accepted as a member of the family.'_

Like all children he longs for his parents' affection, but all Naruto ever received where disappointed glances and the ire of his mother's clansmen. It wasn't Naruto's fault that he'd received the short end of the stick, though that doesn't stop them for looking down on him in disgrace treating him like a plague or as a slave.

Wonder why he's neglected? Simple. For Naruto, Chakra will forever be out of his reach. In fact, he has NO Chakra at ALL! They were all wondering how he was still alive but some concluded that he was 1 in a million, a freak as you can say. To the Uzumaki clan not becoming a ninja is a disgrace and to his parents he was an unwanted child.

Naruto was a genius as well. But no one ever notices. True he can't become a ninja, but he's still smarter than the average kid. All his books were very complicated and that's quite a feat considering he was never even enrolled in a civilian school, which rarely gets used anyways seeing as parents just privately teach their children. He spends most of his time at the library and at a hiding place that only he and one other person know.

Naruto was heading to his hideout, it was in one common tree just behind the Hokage Monument. A small camouflaged tree house that one must use the tree branches to climb and open a hidden door. Inside were a couple of pillows for comfort and some snacks, books, telescopes and weapons that Naruto and his 'only' friend managed to collect in the training grounds.

He sighed as he sat by a window hidden by the foliage and gazed at the setting sun. '_Why must I be ignored? Perhaps he was right after all… I should j-just give up on getting my parents attention.' _Once again tears slowly fell from his sad eyes as he sat with his arms embracing his legs._ 'Besides if they don't love me for whom I am, then they were never my family'_

Naruto would have continue crying if he didn't fell someone rub his head. He knew immediately that this was his best friend, his kind hearted yet strong and friendly companion. "I knew I would find you here Naruto. C'mon stop crying Big Brother Kiba's here with the drinks."

Naruto looked up and did see Kiba Inuzuka, his only friend and the only to truly understand how it is to be neglected by ones family. Kiba had wild spiky black hair and brown slitted eyes. On top of his head was a white beany hat with two of the sides standing up forming two triangles on top of his head. Many assume that it was part of the design but only Naruto, Kiba, and Kiba's clan know that Kiba was not a human. Kiba was a Hanyou, complete with two fuzzy wolf ears on top of his head.

When Kiba told him about his secret, Naruto became very happy. He was happy because his friend really did trust him and wasn't faking it. From then on he and Kiba always played together or simply relaxed in their tree house.

"Rough day again Naruto?" Kiba asked.

Naruto wiped his tears with his orange shirt and nodded. "How about you Kiba?"

Said person sighed and sat down beside Naruto opening a can of juice. "Same old same old, the old farts still debating whether or not I get thrown out, frankly I don't know why I don't just run away, you as well for that matter. I can always hunt us some food and you can handle all the money problems."

It was true, Naruto always wins in slot machines or any gambling activities. He discovered this when he was at the streets in the redlight district, which seems to have people that don't care about his condition and are content on treating him like a regular stranger. When he was walking past a store, he saw an old slot machine no one used. Out of curiosity, he picked up a coin that he found beside it and low and behold coins magically appeared.

Ironic how Lady Luck is trying to compensate for Naruto's predicament,

The two friends spent the rest of the day talking about random stuff granting escape from their daily lives. Two souls hurting for something they could never control finding a camaraderie and kinship with each other.

The two never went home today; they simply stayed at the tree house. It wasn't the first time they did that, besides it's not like anyone will notice.

Unbeknownst to them, as soon as they drifted off to sleep, two red eyes opened in the darkness gazing at the two sleeping boys. _"__**I'm finally awake… It's been so long since I've stayed coherent. Soon I'll meet both of you, but for tonight I shall explore and see what they had done to my power."**_

The figure was smoky and ethereal but it stood like a Human as it looked at the sleeping forms one more time before disappearing into the night sky. _**"Humans had always hunted me for my power… but I sense that these two will be like my old friends and my father."**_

That night Naruto and Kiba felt strangely secure while the rest of the village felt an ominous aura surround them, even more so when then a spike of killing intent spiked by the Namikaze and Inuzuka compounds rousing up shinobis searching for the source while scaring the families of said households. Strangely enough one clan didn't feel anything. Perhaps there was a reason why the spirit never bothered them.

But one thing was for sure. It was a sign for something big and for Naruto the shadows are slowly being removed but only the future can say if the suns of the Namikaze twins will still cast the shadow upon him.

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**AN: That's done! SO tell me how do you guys find it? Like it or hate it? Review it please :D**

**I mean I'd like to get some feedback because if no one review it then I'll assume that no one likes it and I wouldn't be able to improve my writing. Please Constructive Criticism is Welcome. If you hate it then tell me what you hate about it and I'll try to improve it. I'm willing to listen. **

**Oh and can anyone guess which clan never felt in danger? The first one to get it can submit an OC since I basically need another companion for Kiba and Naruto.**

**Anyways! Thanks for visiting this story. Have a good day!**


	2. Chapter 1

The Shadow of Mana

Chapter 1

**AN: Ok here's the second chapter. Hope you all enjoy it. Oh and as I said can anyone guess which clan didn't feel the KI?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, just my OC's and the story idea.**

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_**The Spirit of the Ancient Fox**_

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Legend has it that the Sage of the Six Paths was the first person the harness the power of chakra. No records have been found talking about other energy sources so people assumed that there was no other energy but Chakra.

No one bothered to find clues about them due to the current list of information recorded and studied by people of power and for them, what use is searching for old relics that had been lost long ago?

What others might not know however was that these so called searches for older relics have never been performed. The Sage himself was already counted as a legend, his tales of power nothing but myths used to inspire the new generation to become Ninjas so for them, it would simply be a waste of time to go chasing old and lost folklore.

So then what happens when someone else discovers an unknown energy? Maybe they'll start their own legend and have a place with the stories of the Sage. Perhaps they'll find a role in society and make their own destinies.

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The next morning, Konoha was on high alert. Ninjas from Rookie Chunins to Elite Anbu were patrolling the village. The civilians were scared and the genins and academy students were given the day off.

Everyone, well except for a certain clan and two children, felt the oppressive force of Killing intent that flooded the village. More specifically, the Uzumaki and Inuzuka clan compounds as well as the Hokage Mansion. It was a unanimous conclusion that whoever emitted that Killing intent was trying to kill the Family of the Yondaime, as well as the Uzumaki and Inuzuka clans.

However, what placed everyone at an even greater edge was the strength behind that KI. It was so strong that it reminded them of the Kyuubi attack. They all suspected that somehow even if the Kyuubi was split into half it could still damage the seal placed on the twins.

Fearing for the worst Minato and Jiraiya, who was visiting, checked the seal and, to their relief, found out that although the twins felt a slight stomach ache the seal was as strong as ever.

Now the Shinobi and Civilian council are gathering to discuss the event.

(Council Hall)

The meeting room was rather ornate. It gave off the feeling off power yet relaxing aura. At least it normally does, until today's meeting were the atmosphere was tense.

"Thank you for gathering." said Minato, the Yondaime Hokage "But this meeting is to address the possibility that an enemy force has managed to sneak inside the village."

Quiet murmurs were exchanged but were abruptly stopped when Minato signaled them to wait. "As of now I have ordered all able bodied ninjas ranked Chunin and up to scout out and patrol. So far nothing has been found."

"Has anyone of the shinobi discovered the potential reason for this? Will the civilians also be in danger?" asked a member of the small but present civilian council.

Minato signaled Shikaku Nara, one of the more renowned Jonin Commanders, to answer. "As far as we know the main source of the Killing intent had been the Hokage Mansion, and the Clan compounds of the Uzumaki and Inuzuka. For now we speculate that the enemy had no interest in the civilians and were more focused in trying to harm the people living in the said areas. Either that or they just wanted to scare us throwing our village into a disarray."

The civilians all talked to each other in a low voice before one of them stood up, this time a representative from the civilian police that was not manned by the Uchihas.

The person was rather buff and had a military cut brown hair. His name is Daiki Katsumori, a former shinobi who retired early due to an injury but still remained as the head of the civilian police force.

He stated in a low and strong voice "We believe that this matter must be handled by the shinobi side of the village. Too ensure the security we suggest that the shinobi side focus their attention on this while our side will handle all the minor duties. I will personally see to it that the civilian police force will calm down the rest of the civilians to allow the Uchiha branch to focus its members on this investigation, we will only ask for assistance in matters where shinobi are needed."

Minato nodded in appreciation. They were lucky that the civilian representatives were levelheaded individuals who were often retired shinobis. Other villages had corrupted Counselors and Minato was thanking Kami that Konoha did not.

The rest of the meeting proceeded with the same caution and different suggestions from either side of the room. There were some arguments but they were quickly settled and were expected.

Although most of the problem was the Uzumaki clan getting rather arrogant in stating that their own clan can take care of themselves and refusing some of the offers of Ninja patrols by their compound. The same goes for the Hyuuga clan. The Uchiha were surprisingly welcoming of the idea of extra patrols.

In the end the civilians did take over most of the minor details of the village while the shinobi sector continued their investigation.

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(Naruto's Hideout a little bit Earlier)

Back to the small tree house, Naruto was slowly waking up. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he stretched while yawning. On the other side Kiba was sprawled all over snoring with his beanie hat off, his Black furry ears twitching every now and then. Naruto shook his head at Kiba and proceeded to nudge him with his foot.

Kiba grumbled before wearily waking up glaring tiredly at his little brother. "Whash that fwoaaa—yaaawnn" he complained. Naruto simply opened the hidden door and started his way down. "It's morning already Nii-san, and it's Saturday. You need to hunt for me to sell stuff to old man Kei."

Kei was an old travelling merchant who buys some animal fur from Naruto to sell in the Market. He only comes early Sunday Mornings since he travels with a caravan as he can no longer travel alone. The old man was pretty nice and plays absolutely no favorites. He doesn't care who, as long as you sell him good quality fur, he'll give you a respectable amount, give him something bad and he won't even get it. He's strict but fair, which works just fine for Naruto.

This one was a way for Naruto and Kiba to get some money. Kiba can't really get a good price and know nest to nothing about dealing with merchants so that's were Naruto comes along. Kiba doesn't really need the money but he does it anyways to get some practice and buy extra shinobi tools. He even gets small amounts while stubbornly making Naruto get the Majority of the money even if Naruto wanted Kiba to at least get half of the money.

"Alright alright, I'll go hunt" he grumbled "troublesome old merchant" Naruto rolled his eyes at his friend. "You sound like a Nara" Kiba snorted and said "I would give anything to be one of those lazy geniuses instead of getting stuck into a clan with bickering noisy blockheaded geezers. I mean I know the Inuzuka clan is very strong and loyal but it can get annoying that most of them don't know what an inside voice is. I don't think the Nara even have Clan elders. Heck the Akimichi and Yamanaka clan sounds good to."

Naruto waved him off and said "They don't have any elder meetings, the closest they have is a royal Nara snooze fest, and an Akimichi buffet party, don't know about the Yamanakas. Now I'm gonna go **home-**" He said the word home rather disdainfully. "-before they try to find more reasons to give me more work" he trudged off kicking pebbles along the way. Starting the morning listening to arrogant clansmen give you orders for mundane tasks…joy…

We skip a bit into about noon and we see Naruto sweeping the front gate of the compound. His back turned as he didn't want to watch a couple of the younger clansmen play with each other, whether it was roughhousing for the boys or gossiping by the girls.

What was more painful was that they were all close to his age from 5 year olds to 11 year olds. They didn't even think that he was part of the clan anymore. They all thought that he was nothing more than an equivalent to a slave and didn't treat him as family.

"Ne what's with the long face little guy?" came a voice startling Naruto into dropping the broom. He growled a little and faced the offender. He saw that it was a red haired teenaged male about 17 or 18 with a slight smile present on his face. He though it was an Uzumaki until the guy opened his eyes which were blood red.

As far as he knows no one in the Uzumaki had blood red eyes. The stranger must have noticed Naruto's ire as he placed his hand and in a placating motion. "Hey, hey relax kid. I wasn't mocking you, just curious."

Naruto looked at the stranger oddly before sighing as he picked up the broom. "It's just that they all treat me like I'm not part of the clan." The young man raised one of his eyebrows as he crossed his arms and leaned on the wall. "You mean you're an Uzumaki? You certainly don't look like one."

Naruto glowered and told him "My name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. Don't forget it. But it doesn't matter they'll probably exile me anyways."

The man didn't seem surprised. But his smirked extended surprising Naruto as he clearly saw that his canines were rather sharp. He pointed at himself with his thumb and said in a rather confident tone. "The name Maelstrom's pretty cool, but allow me to drown out your awesomeness as my name is Kurama Kitsune."

This time it was Naruto who raised an eyebrow "Demon fox? I think Maelstrom is cooler." He pointed out. But he blinked as something finally sunk in. This man was actually casually talking to him, him of all people.

He stared at the new comer more intensely "You're not from around here are you." It was more of a statement than a question.

Kurama merely smirked and said "Pretty much, I was bored and saw you so I wanted to talk. So far you're a better person to talk to rather than some overly self-centered guy I met down the street and this coming from me is saying something." Kurama adopted a thinking pose as he murmured "What was his name… Ass, Arshi, my arsh, Ashri, Rash, Rashy Ass."

Naruto couldn't help but snicker at all the names this Kurama person was calling his _**Older brother**_. He kind of figured out that it was Arashi when Kurama said Arshi. For Naruto that name does suit Arashi's smug personality.

"Hey freak!" Speak of the devil. Naruto took a deep breath and placed a rather emotionless façade. "Yes Arashi?"

Said person was standing just in front of Naruto. Naruto noticed that Kurama had an annoyed look on his face, and he was highly tempted to wear one of his own, that and to kick the annoyance in the jewels.

"That's Arashi-SAMA to you dobe! Know your betters. You should be happy that we even allow you enter the compound." As- I mean Arashi said in a rather condescending tone.

Arrogance was basically radiating from him. Not to say he didn't have bragging rights because he IS a genius, but this is taking it way too far. "I still can't believe I'm related to you." Suddenly Arashi's smirk widened. "Although, pretty soon you won't be ruining the family name anymore."

Naruto froze on the spot wondering what he meant. "Oh? I see I got your attention. You see, the clanheads and other clansmen of the Uzumaki are pushing for your banishment to the clan."

Normally Naruto would be in denial but after a short while he remembered all the stares and disgusted looks he received from his clansmen. Naruto may be smart but he is still a child. Learning that his family was exiling broke a piece of Naruto still developing world. Even if he expected it to happen in the future, he still couldn't believe it.

"Oi, oi, aren't you being too harsh on the kid ya' Brat?" Kurama finally decided to cut in. Arashi glared at Kurama "Who are you calling brat commoner? Don't you know who I am? I am the eldest son of –"

Kurama couldn't stand his voice and continued for him. "Yes, yes I know. You're the brat of the Blondie Baka and the Hot Headed Habanero, and the elder brother of the so called twin "Jailors" of the Kyuubi." Kurama said jailors in a rather mocking tone. It's as if he knows something that others don't.

Arashi was red in anger but he retorted with a sudden smugness on his face. After all it wouldn't look good to his admirers if he was to lose his "coolness" to a stranger. "Like you're the one to talk. You must be a weakling if you're talking to this loser. Don't you know he has no chakra at all?"

Naruto looked on nervously as he didn't want to have this new found… acquaintance… to think of him as a freak as well.

Kurama looked really irritated as he pushed himself of the wall and dusting off some imaginary dust of his scarlet red shirt. "Hmm. No chakra at all? That's certainly more interesting than facing a stuck up prodigy. Besides, I've only spent a small amount of time with this kid and I already got a peek at how perceptive he could be in the future." Kurama then scowled as he walked up to Arashi in a rather challenging posture.

"Oh and who are you calling a weakling? You do not know me and you should, as you say, respect your betters. No one calls me weak unless their stronger than me brat."

"Is that a challenge?" Arashi stated. Kurama growled but smirked as his eyes became slitted and stared directly at Arashi's eyes. All of a sudden Arashi felt his knees weaken and tremble as he had trouble breathing, much to Naruto's and a couple a spectators' surprise.

Kurama's eye went back to normal as he scoffed at Arashi's form and patted Naruto in the back. "I don't have to. You're much too… _**WEAK**_… to even think of challenging me." He placed both hands on the pockets of his tan cargo pants as he walked away on his Scarlet red boots. "Cya kid" he called out as he raised a hand as a sign of goodbye to Naruto before disappearing in a corner.

Naruto blinked and stared at the spot Kurama last stood and was taking out off his musings by his brothers trembling voice. "W-what t-t-that." Arashi stuttered out. He was still trembling as he attempted to reclaim his dignity by trying to stand up straight and level his voice, which isn't exactly doing anything to Naruto's eyes.

It was the first time Naruto has seen the "great" Arashi scared, so it increased his curiosity about this Kurama fellow.

He took one last glance at the corner where Kurama walked off to and continued sweeping like nothing happened. "His name is Kurama. Probably some traveler." _That and if continues to scare you then we're going to get a long juuuuust fine. _ The last part was unspoken but had a level of mirth in them.

Up in the trees Kurama smirked as he took one last glance at the village. '_Naruto Namikaze, you seem like a rather promising individual.'_ His form flicked before turning into a blurry mist with two glowing red eyes. **'**_**Soon the flow of Mana shall be used again, and I'll be the first spirit in a thousand years to have a partner. Heh, I can already hear my own siblings cry out in both joy and envy.'**_

With no warning the form disappeared into the darkness, but was unaware of a pair of regular slitted eyes staring at his position in confusion.

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**AN: Umm, so how did you guys like it? I was going on a whim here. I really need to plan more of these out. Anyways review please =D**


	3. Chapter 2

The Shadow of Mana

Chapter 2

AN: Ok just to make things clear, I'll say it here and now. No, I will not be bashing the Inuzuka clan, and no, Kyuubi is not a demon. Also Naruto isn't Banished YET. But the popular belief among the civilian populace was that he is already banished from the clan.

Guest: To the person who reviewed here I wanted to point out that he is " 7 " years old. Realistically speaking as a kid he would like to have his parents' attention. Plus as I said earlier he still isn't banished yet. Besides as smart as he is Naruto is still a Kid.

Ok just wanted to make those clear.

If you have any concerns please pm me or leave it in a review. I really want some opinions here so I can improve.

Anyways on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Just my OCs and the story idea.

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_**Behold the Art Lost in the shadows of Time**_

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What is a Bijuu? The popular belief is that they are all demons created when the Sage of the Six Paths defeated the Juubi. To others they are simply emotionless being of carnage made entirely out of Chakra. They're all lies.

How is this true? What defines a demon for that matter? Did they even bother to learn about these creatures? Or were they to scared to even attempt on learning about these forces of nature.

Besides it was said that the Sage sealed the Juubi into the moon. How can this be true when it was also said that he split the great "Demon" into Nine separate entities? If it's false then what could they be? There is much to learn, yet no one is willing to step up to this challenge.

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It was a lively day in Konoha. Sundays were always very busy and the streets were filled by merchants and other foreign travelers interested in either exploring the village or making a profit.

Stalls from clothes, toys, exotic foods and even rare weaponry were sold, although the day still pales in comparison to other festivals in Village like the Kyuubi festival, where the twins are paraded on a stage.

"Hey old man I got some more animal furs for ya" said Naruto to an elderly man wearing simple merchant clothes. "Ah, young Naruto. Let me see what you have for me today. Did that hunter friend of yours catch anything rare for me?"

Naruto nodded and turned around seeing Kiba with a small batch of animal furs sitting on his arms. "Kiba! Over here!"

Kiba heard him and walked towards Naruto and Kei while carefully making sure that none of the furs fall to the ground and get damaged. Kiba placed it on the counter and after Kei examined them gave them a small but respectable payment before saying goodbye.

They split the money up with Kiba still giving Naruto the bigger share. They didn't spend that much time in the town as they went back to the forests. The only difference was that Kiba bought himself a grey colored beanie shaped like a wolf's head and was busy eating the ice-cream Naruto bought for the two of them.

The two decided to explore the deeper part of the forest while finishing off their ice cream. They were busy talking to each other that they didn't notice how they made a wrong turn to the path they wanted to take.

"-and then this Kurama person did something to Arashi making him go weak and scared! It was so funny how his face looked!" Well they were really distracted because Naruto was telling Kiba about yesterday's event, and ones Kiba heard that Arashi was scared he just had to listen.

"He was pretty cool though he w-oooooooaaahhhhhh!" all of a sudden the floor beneath them crumbled making them fall to an underground river.

The river was fast and carried the two boys forwards while the two were busy trying to stay afloat and with each other. Unfortunately the water proved to be too perilous and unforgiving as they made sharp turns and small waterfalls. The two were getting tired and had some scratches from scraping against some of the rocks. Finally after a couple of moments they fell downwards sucked in a vortex.

'_Is this the end?' _ Both of them thought. Thinking about how life was never fair to them. One considered as an embarrassment the other seen as a flight risk. Naruto lost his consciousness first closely followed by Kiba as their bodies helplessly get carried away by the river.

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**(?)**

In a clearing surrounded by multicolored crystals glowing with an eerie light, a pair of red eyes opened themselves from a meditative condition.

"**It's time"** an excited voice said. **"After years of waiting, after years of getting imbalanced by Chakra… after being separated from my father by that damned Sage! The flow of Mana shall be guarded and restored once again!"** The figure stood and revealed itself to be Kurama who wore an archaic cloak with the hood down showing his blood red slitted eyes and wild fiery red hair. He walked down a hall passing old ruined arches filled with glowing runes, not seals, runes of the ancient languages providing a luminescent hall in the present darkness that was once filled with the light of Mana.

Kurama looked on and continued his way to a small pool where an everlasting vortex of water continues to spin. His gaze softened as his eyes landed on the levitating forms of the two unconscious boys. Their entire body was surrounded by light as they were slowly encased inside two glowing orbs of Mana before their bodies absorbed them.

For Kurama, the sign that they were still alive after the being swallowed by the vortex was all he needed. **"Looks like I was right after all, though Kiba being one of **_**them**_** is very surprising but not unwanted."**

He smirked as carried both boys like sacks of potatoes on each shoulder before he unceremoniously plopped them down one of the grassier parts of the place. The two groaned before both of them were fully awake but feeling a bit sore all over their body.

Kurama's voice went back to the one he used when he first met Naruto before he coughed and said "Oh suck it up. You both got a royal Bath in the healing waters of the Sapphire Lake."

Naruto glance up and was honestly surprised. "Kurama?" Said person simply nodded and said in with a rather joking tone "Glad you remembered, I must be cooler than I thought." Naruto and Kiba rolled their eyes. While Kiba remarked. "Your friend here seems a bit too narcissistic"

Kurama didn't take that too well as he summoned up an orb of fire end set Kiba's pants on fire. **"**_**Pyro"**_ he whispered.

After a small comical seen where Kiba ran around like a headless chicken, we see a thoroughly embarrassed Kiba and a very interested Naruto. "How did you do that? There was no handsigns. He said.

Kurama smirked as he replied "Of course not, why on earth would a spell powered by Mana need handsigns?"

"Mana?" parroted both Kiba and Naruto. "Yes Mana, oh and you must be Kiba Inuzuka."

Kiba looked surprised. "How did you know my name?" Kurama merely smiled and said mysteriously "I have my ways."

He them turned around and walked through an archway before gesturing the boys to follow him. The two looked at each other before following Kurama. As they walked along the path they couldn't help but admire how beautiful yet mysterious the pillars and arches that they passed.

Every single stone pillar may have looked very old and where heavily damaged in some parts, but the glowing crystals and ancient luminescent writings make them look peaceful. There were also some plants that they didn't recognize.

In the dark there were a couple gigantic flowers with small orbs of light hovering on top of them. There was also a tree that was so tiny that Naruto thought they were fakes until he touched one of the leaves. To his shock, the leaf felt _Alive_ and pulsated with incredible power.

None of them talked as they walked in silence. Finally after a couple of minutes Kurama stopped in a very dark room. There was only a single torch by the entrance and it wasn't enough for Kiba and Naruto to see the room.

"Where are we?" Kiba finally asked.

Kurama merely smiled sadly as he turned his back to them. "Kiba, Naruto. I'd like to welcome you to the Courtyard of Spirits; at least what's left of it."

Right before their very eyes the entire room lit up forcing the two boys to cover their eyes. They had to rub their eyes a little as there were still some dark spots in their eyes, but when they finished they couldn't help but marvel at the room.

The room was now clear and they discovered that it doesn't have a solid roof. In its place was a bright swirling mass of sky blue energy. It heavily resembles the serene starry night sky complete with its own set shooting stars. Once in a while a blurry moving image shaped like different animals would appear and look alive before dissolving in the 'stream' as if they were never there. The power itself felt enormous and humbling as they gazed upon the 'sky' of the room.

"Beautiful isn't it." Kurama said with a rather wistful tone. Kiba and Naruto couldn't help but nod, staying silent as though mesmerized by the view. "What… is it?" murmured Naruto, still not taking his eyes away from the 'sky.'

Kurama turned to look at them and spoke in a deep voice surprising them **"This is all that survives in the flow of Mana." **

"What exactly is this 'Mana,' are you talking about Chakra?" Kiba wondered.

Kurama shook his head in a negative way. **"No. Chakra is simply a small branch of energy from Mana. What I will say here and now is nothing but the truth, whether you believe me or not is up to you. That being said it must also be kept secret. Would you like to learn what Mana is?"**

Both boys nodded, curious about what Mana is. Kurama nodded and sat on a step of a staircase that they didn't notice earlier. He gestured for them to sit down on the floor before starting.

"**Humans today believe that all life requires the presence of Chakra to stay alive. This is true, to an extent. When someone is born, Chakra is present, but as long as one has not used Chakra consciously, or unconsciously during their early childhood to their 6th birthday, their bodies will not require chakra to live."**

"What do you mean Kurama?"

"**Well, let's put it this way. Chakra can be considered as a drug to the Human body. Unlike other drugs however, Chakra is only addicting to the body and has no impact on the Human mind. It's doesn't provide the same dangers as well, save for one: Chakra exhaustion. Chakra can also create an advantage, it does increase a Humans regular stamina, cast jutsus, and sense others around them.**

**Now as I said earlier, Chakra can be used subconsciously. Without the minds knowledge, the body may use chakra. For example, if someone is running hard and tired while their lives are endangered. Their bodies find the closest source of energy boost that it can find. Powered by adrenaline the mind doesn't realize that the body is using Chakra to keep running once all the regular energy a person has is spent. Others can be simpler like giving a small burst of strength to carry an object, or perhaps sharpening the eyes while the owner is frantically looking for something. Once used, the body will think that this source of energy is important and will make sure that it keeps running inside the body; however this makes it reliant on the energy as it is always present. As you may have guessed, if the bodies chakra supply were to ever run out, then the body panics and causes the person to die."**

Kurama stretched a little before he continued. **"Mana on the other hand isn't present in the body itself, but in the atmosphere and the elements. Like Chakra, it is everywhere but completely invisible unless you go to certain places with large a large concentration of Mana, like this Courtyard." ** He gestured behind him and pointed to the 'sky'

"**There used to be a lot of Mana that once every three years the night sky will reveal a hidden system of 'roads' formed entirely out of Mana in the sky. These roads circle the globe and runs continuously until the next sunrise. There were only a few who can actually use Mana, but they were well respected and often stayed away from big societies." **Kurama sighed heavily as his eyes narrowed and glowed red while he clenched his fists.

"**But then _He _came along. _He _thought that he found a different source of energy and practiced with it. This _man _thought that Mana was slowly destroying the world while _his _new energy was the real source of life, and that the Vanguards, people who freely use Mana, were really corrupt individuals bent on controlling the world under their influence. That idiotic fool was none other than what you call the "Sage of the Six Paths"**

Both boys gave a small gasp of surprise "The sage!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kurama nodded and continued with a bitter voice. **"He secretly gathered followers, who were all jealous of the Vanguards, and plotted their demise. But they knew that it was suicide to face them head on thus they thought of a plan. Secretly they would attack the Vanguards during one of their gathering and celebrations. They ambushed them. It was a total surprise. None of the Vanguards expected that the Sage, whom most of them befriended, would betray them and dare say that Mana was a danger to the world. The vanguards war far outnumbered and only after a third of them fell did they manage to fight back. It was a glorious battle, for every vanguard that fell 20 of their men were sacrificed. The Sage knew then and there that if it continued, his attack would fail; it would weaken the Vanguards, but still fail. So he used the most underhanded thing in the world, he used his Chakra to unbalance my father's spirit as well as my siblings and myself. You may all know my father as the Juubi."**

"WHAAT!" Shouted the two boys in surprised "B-but I thought the Juubi was just a Legend." Kiba meekly said.

Kurama shook his head. **"No, my father is as real as he can be."**

"Father?" Naruto wondered before he narrowed his eyes at Kurama. "Who, no what are you?" Kurama chuckled before saying in a proud tone, completely different from the bitter voice that he used earlier.

His hair became bright and embers of fire danced on it. **"I am none other than Kurama Yoko! The great Kyuubi! The Eldest son of the Juubi and one of the Last surviving Vanguard Keepers!" **

"Impossible! They said y-y-you were dead! You can't be the Demon Kyuubi!" Kurama chuckled a little and said **"Typical humans, always demonizing anything that they don't understand and is afraid of. I am not more a 'demon' than you are. I was a Vanguard Keeper, a partner and comrade at arms with the Vanguards."**

Both boys gulped before sitting down. They were in the presence of the Kyuubi and they didn't even know about it? That and they were ashamed for believing that Kurama was a demon. Though they were still skeptical, Kurama had shown them nothing but honesty and power. They both decided that they would learn more about Kurama before reaching a conclusion and decided to keep listening.

"**Now, let me continue to my story. As I said The Sage used his eyes to imbalance the Keepers with their Chakra forcing us to go berserk and transform into those beastly creatures. While our power weakened we were still strong enough to fight the Vanguards." **

Kurama stared as his hands as the boys noticed that there were small tears forming on the corners of the so called "demon's" eyes. That was a small sign, if anything that Kurama was not a demon therefore increasing the boys doubt what they learned about the Kyuubi.

"**I can still remember it. My claws hurting those my kind swore to protect. I remember all of their faces and what I saw made it even more unbearable. Instead of rage or betrayal, their faces held acceptance and none of them aimed any of their spells to hurt me or the other Keepers. They still attacked the others, but they made sure to try and avoid hitting us with their attacks. When the last vanguard died all of the keepers were now consumed with rage. The last Vanguard was still a trainee and was a small child. Her last words were not of hate. But what she said I will remember for all time. Her words were simple: 'I'm sorry for not being able to free you.' We were so angry at the Sage that somehow we all managed to sever the control the Sage had placed over us. We slaughtered their army, not allowing them to celebrate their victory. My father was affected the most. We killed them all, destroying the towns they hid in. We hunted them one, by one. Killing all their descendants and family until that blasted IDIOT managed to find a way to seal my father to the moon. **

**He was hailed as a hero while all of the keepers were put to sleep one by one until there were only nine of us. We couldn't cooperate as we were still unbalanced and had the lingering chakra that the Sage used on us. In the end we were all sealed and he managed to spread the lies about Chakra, firmly erasing the existence of Mana."**

Kurama stood up silently and gazed at the 'sky' **"What you see now is the last concentration of Mana. Slowly, but surely, the amount of Mana present in the world will reduce to nothing… and I will disappear along with my brethren." **

Kurama chuckled bitterly for a moment. **"You know, I suppose I have to thank that blonde Hokage. Since without him I would probably still be a beast of uncontrolled rage."**

Silence resonated inside the room; the only sound coming was a low humming noise from the 'sky.'

"Why did you tell us about this?" Naruto asked. Kurama stayed quiet for a minute before answering **"Because out of all the Humans I've seen in this village, both of you had the closest connection to Mana. I'm also giving you both a choice." **

He turned to look at Naruto and Kiba** "To restore the balance of Mana in the world, Vanguards are needed. Are you both willing to become the next generation and take on the duties of Vanguards?"**

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**Well that's done. I didn't really mean to keep this hanging but I couldn't resist. Plus this chapter is already longer than the last one.**

**Oh how they will use Mana will be explained in other chapters. **

**Well I hope you all liked it. **

**Review please =D I'd love to hear how you thought of it. Even if you didn't like it, tell me and I'll try to improve next time.**

**Oh and I placed a Poll to ask about Kiba's animal Partner.**


	4. Chapter 3

The Shadow of Mana

Chapter 3

AN: ARGG! This chapter would have came out sooner but my laptop died without warning and deleted all the stuff that I typed! T_T I'm terribly sorry. I didn't save the file yet, and it got deleted. So this is an attempt of mine to retell this chapter. I didn't write the chapter down so I'm stuck on ANOTHER blank start! Nuuuuuuu

*sigh* nothing I can do about that. But anyways here it is again. Hopefully it's still okay for you guys.

Oh just something I don't have a beta and do all the rereading on my own. So any mistakes is all on me.

Disclamer: I don't own Naruto. Now I won't repeat this again for every single chapter. I've been typing for the entire day and after this chapter I am not typing anymore until the next day!

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

_**The Choice, To become the Watcher of Life**_

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

Nowadays, the general public believes that Chakra is the most powerful and the only form of Energy. It is an easily acceptable hypothesis as there is practically an infinite amount of abilities that Chakra provides.

However, there are a select few people who knows that Chakra is not the only available energy around. There are energies like Ki, Youki and other unnamed energies available.

What no one knows, however is that they are not separate entities. All of these different types are simply different forms of Mana that branched out from the main flow.

They all came from the same parent energy but are noticeably weaker in certain areas. Some are so specialized that they can only do one thing.

This is what's causing the dilemma. The world needs the continuous flow of Mana to survive. It delivers the life energy that keeps the living alive. Mana also circulates the entire world; its bond is so strong that it basically is the only thing separating the living from the dead. If all the Mana disappears, none of the other energies can replace it. They're all incomplete, and lack most of the needed properties that only Mana has.

Vanguards keep the Flow of Mana from disappearing. Without their presence all the 'leaks' that form in the flow of Mana cannot be 'repaired' thus allowing Mana to get lost and transform into a different form.

While it isn't dangerous to allow for new energies to develop, too many 'leaks' take away precious Mana and endanger the world.

If the Vanguards don't reappear soon, the final traces of Mana shall disappear leaving the world to slowly face extinction.

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

_Last time…_

_Kurama stood up silently and gazed at the 'sky' **"What you see now is the last concentration of Mana. Slowly, but surely, the amount of Mana present in the world will reduce to nothing… and I will disappear along with my brethren." **_

_Kurama chuckled bitterly for a moment. **"You know, I suppose I have to thank that blonde Hokage. Since without him I would probably still be a beast of uncontrolled rage."**_

_Silence resonated inside the room; the only sound coming was a low humming noise from the 'sky.'_

"_Why did you tell us about this?" Naruto asked. Kurama stayed quiet for a minute before answering **"Because out of all the Humans I've seen in this village, both of you had the closest connection to Mana. I'm also giving you both a choice." **_

_He turned to look at Naruto and Kiba** "To restore the balance of Mana in the world, Vanguards are needed. Are you both willing to become the next generation and take on the duties of Vanguards?"**_

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

_**Present time…**_

**(Courtyard of Spirits – Final Concentration of Mana)**

A single question, stated bluntly without any form of useless wordplay. One might think that answering this question is simple. Either say Yes, or say No.

But one should stop and think. The two boys that Kurama directed this question to had a lot to think about.

First and foremost was Kiba. Now, Kiba may be excited by the prospect but he knew that there was always something that you have to sacrifice in exchange of Power. Nothing is ever free. Kiba didn't really have anything that important to him, other than his Best friend, and his family (to an extent).

Kiba isn't treated the same as his fellow clansmen. He can see it in their eyes. Doubt, confusion, and suspicion were only a select few of the more negative views. But he understood. To them he was believed to be a Hanyou, or a Half-demon, and with the all too recent Kyuubi attack, his clansmen were doubtful of his trustworthiness. They kept his blood a secret to the public, afraid of what it would do to their reputation, not to mention how the villagers might react to Kiba.

For that, Kiba knew he should be thankful that the Inuzuka clan valued loyalty to the Village and to the family. They won't sell him out. But if he even shows the slightest sign of 'demonic' character, he would have to be banished, or worse he would have to be put down.

After the story though, Kiba was starting to doubt that he was a Hanyou. If the Kyuubi no Yoko was never a demon. Then what would that make him? A monster? Kiba shook his head and squashed that thought immediately.

He was also starting to doubt that staying in the clan would be good for both himself_ and _the clan. If word ever gets out that he wasn't a human… Kiba shudders. He wasn't dumb. If people were already mocking and bullying Naruto, who was still technically the Hokage's son, then what would they do to him?

"Kurama…" he murmured quietly, but it did get Kurama, as well as Naruto's attention. "Can I… have more time in making a decision?" Kurama simply nodded as if he was expecting it. **"Take as much time as you need, would you like to get back on the village first?" **

Kiba nodded in gratitude. "Yeah, I would. Thanks Kurama-san. He looked at Naruto for a bit. "I'm going to head over for a moment Naruto. I need some time to think."

Naruto nodded and waved goodbye as Kurama summoned up a clone of himself, without handsigns mind you, and proceeded to tell Kiba how to go back outside and how to call Kurama once he figures out what he wants to do.

Meanwhile Naruto had an easier time trying to decide. After all, when he tried of thinking a reason not to become a Vanguard, he comes out with a blank. That and this could probably be Naruto's only chance to prove that he wasn't useless or a failure.

"Ne, Kurama-san. What exactly does a Vanguard do?"

Kurama seemed to grin **"Glad to see that you're thinking ahead instead of jumping in blind" **he cleared his throat and said **"The Vanguards play a vital role to the world's survival. Think of the Mana flow as the World's own circulatory system. The streams of Mana travel the entire globe, encapsulating it in a protective Aura. **

**Mana also plays a vital role in evolution and growth of Nature. Why do you think Humans are getting more and more susceptible to diseases? Viruses and other Pathogens only need a small amount of Mana, or any form of energy for that matter, to evolve. Humans may have the Chakra system to act as immunity, but if the virus turns out to be something like the Aburame clan's insects. Then they basically have free access to the body.**

**There are also more important factors that Mana provides. Even I don't know them all. You and the other Vanguards must discover them on your own.**

**Continuing on, as a Vanguard it will be your duty to make sure that the flow of Mana remains undisturbed by outside forces. Sometimes, 'leaks' appear in the streams. It isn't wise to immediately close one however as it may be creating a new energy source, something like Chakra and Ki, or pure physical Energy. However it is important for Vanguards to redirect the flow of the excess Mana back into the stream. Because once a different form of energy is made, all the excess Mana simply lingers around and dissipates into nothingness. **

**I am not going state it anymore clearly. Every. Single. Amount of Mana is Vital for its continuation. Now missing a couple of leaks is still okay as they usually don't affect the flow to much for a short time. But they must be repaired so that there isn't too much reduction to the amount of Mana running along the streams.**

**Also for the new Vanguards, You must all create new areas for Mana to gather in a Concentration like the one above us. Once inside the Concentrations, the Mana flow regenerates any lost Mana and recharges its power."**

Naruto placed a hand on his chin for a moment. "How do Vanguards, 'fix' the Mana Flow and how can one create a point of Concentration?"

Kurama grinned widely and raised a finger. **"Good Questions kid. The answer to your first question is quite simple. Vanguards are the only people who can manipulate and direct the Mana that came directly from the streams. In fact it is only the Vanguards and their selected allies, whom I will talk about in a later date, can see the Mana Flow every day. Others can only see them once every three years.**

**Mana isn't that difficult to repair. All you have to do is make sure that the Mana that gets lost after getting separated in a 'leak' will return to the flow. The Streams will do the rest.**

**However, currently the streams are basically nonexistent. Therefore you and the other Vanguards must use your powers to create the "Paths" that the Mana will travel, while occasionally creating a concentration point to keep it from weakening and dissipating. **

**It takes at least 3 Vanguards to make a Concentration point. However it takes 4 to create a permanent one. One of the Vanguards must act as a beacon to attract the Flow of Mana while the other three makes the Mana stick form a swirling mass, before settling into an orb. After that the three must create new Paths. Two Paths must lead to allow the Mana to exit while the other Path must act as another entrance.**

**Once that is successful the Vanguard that acted as a beacon can finally stop, and remove his hold on the Mana. The final result will be a successful and effective Concentration point.**

**These are very important to the life of the World. A Vanguard must also protect the flow at all costs, or risk the damnation of the future generation."**

Naruto gulped audibly. He realized that being a Vanguard was important, but not THAT important. But he stopped and thought about it. While true he might be given a way to prove himself and to become something more than a shadow, his actions can heavily impact the world.

But Naruto's first decision remained standing. He knows that if he refused, he wouldn't get another chance. He also knows that must do this, if not for the village but for the next generation of children born to the world. If he refused… it would take longer for the flow of Mana to be repaired.

With a strong will and determination he accepted his fate. "I've decided. Yes, I accept and will become a Vanguard!"

Kurama was ecstatic. The Vanguards will be reborn once again, that and he gets to rub it in his siblings that he trained the first Vanguard after hundreds of years. He can almost imagine their jealous faces, except for little Shukaku who was the youngest among the surviving Keepers. 'Speaking of the little tyke, I wonder how he's doing.' It was a big taboo among the siblings to hurt their youngest as he was always the most sensitive.

Kurama shook his head to clear his thoughts and said to Naruto, using the voice he used when he first met him. "Well then, follow me. We'll begin you're tor- I mean training immediately!" Kurama had a diabolical glint in his eyes which made Naruto gulp again before nodding. Although what Kurama did next, reasserted Naruto's opinion about the fox. "Now be grateful you shall be tutored by the One and Only Kurama! Oh I can see their faces now! HA!"

Kurama seemed to forget that Naruto was here as he puffed his chest out. Really, Kurama acts like a teenager.

Yep, demon or not, Kurama was a rather interesting individual. A little bit on the proud and slightly narcissistic side but still quite friendly and bearable, unlike a certain redhead that he knows.

Now as he followed Kurama down one of the Paths he couldn't help but wonder how his life will change.

Little did he know that they were being watched by three pairs of eyes. Kurama did however as he glanced at their direction and nodded.

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**(Hidden in the Bushes just across Naruto and Kurama)**

"**So that's the new Vanguard. He looks interesting." Came a feminine voice.**

"**I'm more interested in the one that just left. I know for a fact that underneath that hat was a pair of Wolf ears" came another, but more masculine.**

"**So you think that other boy, I think his name was Kiba, could be a descendant of _them_." The third voice stated.**

"**Who knows… perhaps with those two around more Vanguards will appear and get new allies" answered the feminine voice.**

"**Things are certainly getting interesting."**

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**AN: Who were the voices? Kurama seemed to know what they were.**

**Hope you enjoyed this! Although I hope this is better than the one that got deleted.**

**Anyways the poll on Kiba's partners is still open. Oh and please review. I'd love to hear about how you all found the chapter to be.**

**Okay then this is the end of this chapter. I was actually hoping to include some training in but I got too much on the explanations that I thought it was enough.**

**Now do you guys have a clue on what Kiba could be? Well probably not… dumb question I know…**

**Okay enough ramblings! Reviews please =D **


	5. Chapter 4

The Shadow of Mana

Chapter 4

AN: Sorry this took a while; I got stuck on how I wanted to start it…

Okay and the first couple of chapters might not make sense. I just tried winging it on that one. :p

Oh and I typed most of this at night so there might be a few grammar issues here and there. If you find one, tell me please.

Anyways hope you enjoy!

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

_**Find your spirit! Cut the ties of ignorance and discover your resolve!**_

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

Self-exile and Banishment; two different, but closely related, subjects in regards to a person's status in life. How do these people relate to one another?

A self-exile isn't always like the Banished ones; more often than not a self-exile return to the place that they had ran away from. Usually, they only leave for short periods of time to achieve some sort of goal. There are a couple of people who remain as exiles but they are rather few and far in between.

On the other hand, those who are banished can never return. Unlike the exiles they had no say in the matter. It is often the banished people who become driven with vengeance and anger. Unlike the exiles, which can still retain their old personalities, it was rare for a banished to hold on to their old beliefs. Even more so if the banished was young. Pacifists may become Violent, timid people become cruel and uncaring and the cheerful ones become cold and aloof.

Though their differences are prominent once an exile and a banished meet, they can feel a sense of camaraderie. Both parties left their land, willingly or not, and both had changed in a way and both recognized that one had experienced hardships far greater than others could have ever experienced in a lifetime.

To the exiles and banished, once they meet another. They will always remember that they are not alone in the world who knows what it means to be hurt. Even if they never meet again each party will understand one another.

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**(Inuzuka Clan Compound)**

"**YOU WHAT!"** shouted Tsume, along with several other Inuzuka clan mambers in the Council. Other members didn't shout but were just as stunned and surprised.

The reason for their outburst was from one Kiba Inuzuka kneeling in front of his mother, asking for her permission to leave the clan. "Why on earth would I allow my own son to be stripped of the clan name?"

Kiba sat up but continued to look down. "It's just that… I've been thinking. If word got out of me being, well different, then not only would I get in trouble but everyone would count the clan as a threat to the village for raising me."

Tsume narrowed her eyes at her son obviously disturbed by how Kiba was acting. "Kiba, no matter how different you are, you still hold the blood of the Inuzuka. You are still part of the clan! Tell me, how do you expect me, you MOTHER, to remove you from the clan?

You better have a good reason for this brat or I'll knock some sense into that head of yours!"

Kiba sighed before he looked around and saw the old looks, although shock was clearly present, from the people who heard of what was happening. Luckily it was only in the Inuzuka compound so no one else would know.

He took of his beanie hat and said "Look at me and look around you mom! I can see it in my clansmen's eyes! The doubt, the suspicion, the uncertainty. I know they try to hide it but I can still see it. I'm considered a flight risk aren't I!" Tears started to form from his eyes as his voice started to crack.

"I heard it from the meeting you had with t-the elders! Even with the other adults of the clan! I-I mean I know that with the Kyuubi and attack, and why you guys are always watching. But it's hard! Every time I do something, I'm afraid that I would mess up and give everyone a reason to believe that I really was a de-d-demon!" Kiba shook as he clenched his knuckles so tightly that they started turning pale.

He didn't know it but most of his clansmen that hear his outburst were looking away with shame and guilt. They may have not shown any hostility but they had still doubted Kiba as a person, they had almost forgotten their own loyalty to EVERYONE in the pack, and Kiba had been trying to make it known that he WAS a part of their family.

Tsume herself had tears in her own eyes as she wrapped her arms tightly around the crying boy, who was now burying himself in her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

All the pent up frustration he had gathered up came out. He had even hidden it so that Naruto wouldn't know. After all Kiba counted himself as Naruto's older brother, he had to be strong for Naruto's sake, and for himself, especially when Naruto cried. He always held his own tears inside.

But now he finally gathered enough courage to confess about how he felt inside the clan. He didn't hate the clan itself, but a 7 year old, nearing 8, can only take so much before he'd snap.

It wouldn't be the first case of emotional breakdowns. It was fairly common to clan heirs and the children of Kages and other influential people, with so much ridding on their shoulders. But to Kiba it wasn't because he felt the pressure of being the son of the clan head, but more on his own clan not trusting him, possibly even whispering behind his back.

"Oh Kiba…" Tsume patted his hair softly. "Forgive me; I didn't think that you'd notice or that you'd be affected greatly. From now on I'll change it. I'll never doubt you again, and neither will anyone from the clan." Kiba clearly wanted to stay but he knew that his clan may have possibly accepted but until he earns a good reputation in the village. No one must know that he was different.

With a strong sense of hesitation, Kiba forced himself to get out of his mother's grasp fighting back the back the whimper that threatened to escape his mouth. Tears were still dripping from his eyes as he stepped back and shook his head.

With one arm he wiped off his tears as he mumbled. "N-no I c-can't stay yet. I-I (hic) I'm not strong enough. If the v-villagers find (hic) out, the clan would be in trouble. I need to become s-stronger before I can sta-stay here."

Tsume was in a real dilemma. Even though his reasons were good, surprisingly enough for his age, he was still her son and she didn't want to keep him away anymore. But on the other hand, neither she nor anyone from the clan ever allowed him to be free to act as himself. She started to notice it when Kiba wasn't in the compound and when he thought no one was looking.

If this is what Kiba wanted, then as much as it will hurt her she will follow his first request. She smiled sadly for a bit before hugging Kiba once again. "If that is what you really want. I'll wait for the time you become stronger, but for now. Allow this foolish mother of yours to spend a little time with her son."

That day Kiba spent the rest of his time with his family, finally after years of caution, he didn't have to worry about being watched. He can only hope that Naruto gets this chance with his own family as well.

But more importantly he had made his decision to the question that swallowed his mind. It became clear to him while he made his request. The Second Vanguard had chosen to accept his role.

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**(Courtyard of Spirits – Emerald Hallways: 1st Entrance)**

Meanwhile, as Kiba was dealing with his clan Naruto followed Kurama towards another path. But this time, the path was more open and he can clearly see the exotic plant life growing on the sides and vines along the pillars and arches. They still had their own glowing crystals but what surprised Naruto was the presence of animals.

He saw a small green colored bird with a Jade on its forehead and a white belly, something that looks like a small fox kit, but colored blue with light blue patterns on its fur reminding Naruto of the moving water. He saw even more animals and they each looked different and unique. Naruto doubted that anyone else had seen these creatures.

If they did then he was certain that 9 out of 10 would try to catch these creatures to sell to the highest bidder.

Kurama looked behind him before he continued to walk "I see that you've noticed the Mana Beasts" he said without looking back. "I know the name sounds rather cliché but some idiot in the past named them, if it was me I would have named them something cooler like Hyperions.

Anyways, the animals that you see are connected to Mana like the Vanguards, hence the name 'Mana Beasts.' They can use Mana as well, although not to the extent of Vanguards. They also can't use the Mana directly from the streams, which is why they usually partner up with Vanguards since they can get the Mana from the stream itself.

Think of them like the animal summons, only they can't exactly talk. But they can use telepathy and pass messages on to those using Mana."

Naruto nodded even though Kurama probably didn't see it with his back turned.

Soon enough the two finally managed to reach their destination. "Here we are. Once we get past this arch we'll arrive at the place where you can start your training." They walked for a moment before Naruto heard a couple of the green birds that he saw staring at them and 'chirping' to one another.

He blinked as he heard the following conversation.

"Hey who's that?"

"Hmm, looks like a Human, and wow, there's a Vanguard Keeper. Thought they were all dead."

"A HUMAN? LET ME AT'EM!"

One of the birds slapped the other with a wing.

"Idiot! That could be a new Vanguard. Why don't you use your head for once birdbrain?"

"HEY! You're a birdbrain too!"

"Well duh, I AM a bird. But unlike you, I actually use it."

Naruto blinked as he saw two birds start to… well, they seem like their fighting each other. His eyes then travelled to another bird who seemed to huff in irritation before flying off.

"Boys…" Naruto could have sworn that the bird rolled its eyes.

He was brought out of his musing courtesy of Kurama's fist landing on his head. "OW! What was that for you mangy fox?"

Kurama's eyebrow rose up before he said "You were so enraptured in your lala land that you were ignoring my awesome voice. No seriously, I've tried snapping my fingers in front of your face and even hit your butt with a stick and you still wouldn't budge."

Oh. So that explains why his butt was stinging a little. "How long was I out anyways?"

"Not long, probably around 2 minutes or so. Why WERE you spacing out anyways?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly while he thought for a moment. "Well, it's just that I thought I understood what those birds were doing." Kurama looked surprised for a moment before he smirked. Naruto did not like the glint that appeared in his eyes.

"Looks like your more in tune with the Mana than I thought." He said before waving a finger and levitating Naruto of the floor earning a voice of protest. "Oh, stop whining unless you want to fall off the ravine over there." Naruto looked down before he gulped and shook his head.

Kurama nodded before placing Naruto on the other side while he simply jumped over, which is pretty impossible for a Human, Chakra enhanced or otherwise.

"We're here." Kurama said. Naruto looked ahead and saw a circular platform formed under a pure Emerald tree, which was pretty titanic in size.

Kurama switched back to his deeper voice and Naruto saw that Kurama became serious once more. **"Welcome Naruto, to the starting point of your training. If you were wondering we are currently underneath the center of Konoha, and this is where we will open your awareness to Mana."**

Kurama gestured for Naruto to sit in the center of the platform where there was Light blue circle. **"Sit down in a cross-legged position in the middle and close your eyes. Whatever you do don't open it until you feel Warm Wind surrounding your entire body. **

**If you open your eyes before you feel that wind, you're going to experience something _Very_ uncomfortable. **

**After you sit down, relax and loosen your entire body. Also, try to relax and empty your mind. Sooner or later you're going to feel something tug on your consciousness, or your mind. When you do feel it, release whatever thought you may have retained in your head. **

**Let it enter your mind and don't be alarmed when you lose control over your body, that's supposed to happen. It is during that time that you will feel the air move around you quickly. That's when you can open your eyes. There you'll discover why Vanguards rarely complain about their duties.**

**Now go, and take your first step to becoming a Vanguard."**

Naruto did and followed Kurama's instructions and placed himself on the circle. He allowed his body to loosen up and tried to relax both his mind and body.

He stayed there for what felt like hours to him. His young body not used to staying in the same position for long periods of time. Luckily there was this weird feeling that kept him awake so he never fell asleep. He waited for a couple more minutes before he finally feel a tug enter his mind. Immediately he tried to think of nothing and empty his mind like Kurama said. It was pretty hard especially when he couldn't hold his curiosity.

But in the end he felt the tug enter his mind and as expected he felt his entire body loosen. He can still feel them but when Naruto tried to move they didn't respond. He was about to panic until he remembered Kurama's reassurance.

Although he quickly forgot about that dilemma when he felt something completely relax him. It's as if it took away all the stress and worries that his body and mind felt. It was a blissful and wonderful experience to him. Naruto didn't want this feeling to disappear and was so tempted to stay there. But compared to what he experienced next, this was nothing.

Like Kurama said he felt warm winds surround him entirely and he opened his eyes. He couldn't but gasped in amazement and wonder.

Back with our Vanguard Keeper, Kurama smiled kindly as he leaned on the wall. Unknown to Naruto his body was surrounded by light blue Mana and Kurama knew that Naruto had discovered and finally had his first encounter with Mana. He closed his eyes as he thought 'So kid, finally you have discovered what Mana had felt like to the Vanguards. Why they swore that they would protect it no matter what.'

What Kurama said was true. Nothing could even COMPARE to what Naruto was experiencing. His body was spread out with his arms and legs opened wide. His clothes flapped rapidly as if they were encountering the fastest winds in the world. All around him was the energy of Mana. It was present around him going in all directions.

It was Magnificent! While the concentration point that Kurama showed him and Kiba was beautiful, this place he found himself in was MARVELLOUS! No painter can ever capture it, even more so when there was actually different colors present, not just the singular Light Blue.

But what he experienced the best was that he felt ALIVE! He could feel the flow of Mana allowing new life to be created, he felt the world greet him as if he had been a longtime friend and companion. His mind couldn't form a single coherent thought. He forgot about all the problems he had, he forgot about the duties that he will be burdened with. He felt like he belonged in the world, it was like a part of him had been returned and he was finally complete.

He didn't want it to end. He didn't want it to go away. THIS was what he was protecting. IT was not a simple form of matter or energy. It was LIFE itself.

This strengthened his resolve. If he had to sacrifice himself for this energy to survive, then so be it! He will protect this with his own existence; he will make sure that there will be a world for the future!

Finally after what felt like decades Naruto's physical body stood up. His eyes opened slightly as looked up to Kurama with a peaceful and determined look.

Kurama smirked as he asked "The last time to back out. Are you ready Naruto?" Naruto simply smiled and nodded, still in a complete state of bliss.

Kurama nodded as well as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. **"Then I Kurama Kitsune, eldest son of the Great Keeper Juubi, hereby swear that I will Guide this new Soul into the Path Of the Vanguards. I will succeed and protect him until he is ready or I will cut myself a million times before ending my own existence!"**

Kurama's form flickered before the runes on his robes glowed brightly and his hear continue to produce embers of fire before a massive silhouette of a flaming fox appeared behind him. The crystals in the entire courtyard shone with intense radiance while all the Beasts howled with joy.

The Vanguards shall rise again, and this time they will become stronger than ever.

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**AN: Whew! That's done! It took me a while. But I managed to do it.**

**How did you guys like it? I tried to describe what Naruto would've felt, but I'm not sure if I did enough. Tell me how you guys find it though.**

**Oh and just to make things clear. Just because someone can use chakra, doesn't mean that they can't use Mana. They can, but it will be much much weaker, than if they have never used chakra, or any other forms of energy for that matter. It's possible for them to use it but it will be EXTREMELY difficult, borderline impossible even.**

**Oh and the poll for kiba's partner is still open. But it's still a tie between Wolf and one of each animal. So I really need it to be done. Anyways, goodnight!**

**REVIEW PLEASE =D**

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	6. Chapter 5

The Shadow of Mana

Chapter 5

AN: Ok, here's the next chapter. Sorry I sorta got a little bit too lazy to type and think about the story. Got to distracted by other stuff, that and college is starting soon. =x

Anyways here we go. Please tell me how you guys like it in a review okay? I usually get more inspiration to write when I read reviews, even if it's just a simple hello.

I think I've bored you guys enough.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and other stuff that I might possibly reference in this fic like books and other anime.

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

_**Welcome to the Arcane. Enter and discover your powers.**_

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

_September 24 _

_Ne Ne! Hello Mr. Diary! My name is Elizabeth Haila Korrin, or Elie for short, daughter of Joseph and Catherine Korrin. Today I got you as a present from my parents and they told me that I should always write on you every day so that I won't forget anything important. Today's my very special birthday and I turned 6. I live in the village of Floureso in a cute house with my parents and older brother Michael. Our town is also close to a Mana Coy- Conhcent- err some big shiny blue orb thingy that we see every year. _

_It's really pretty but we can only see it for seven days before they disappear so we'll have to wait for another 3 years... I hope that it will appear soon, I wanted to paint it together with my Big Brother! He's really good at painting and he's going to be a Vanguard on December because he's super strong! I love my Big Brother sooooooo much!_

_I don't really know what else to write but don't worry, I will write more soon, I had fun! I promise I'll write some more soon! Bye Bye!_

_~Elie Korrin_

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**(Courtyard of Spirits – Crystal training grounds)**

After Naruto's firsthand experience with Mana and Kurama's vow, the Keeper brought him to a wide and open area; it was all in ruins though.

Naruto saw a ruined rock formation with some water running all over. It would have probably been a fountain once. On the other side were three worn out and heavily damaged dummies with straw falling out of them. There were even a few fault lines scattered along the sides.

Kurama cleared his throat before he tossed something at Naruto. He didn't expect for the Keeper to throw something at him so Naruto fumbled a little bit before he managed to stop them from dropping to the floor.

He looked at what he caught and saw a pair of Navy Blue gloves with a colorless diamond gem in the center. It certainly looked very old and partly damaged with all the abundant and randomly placed stitches that vary in size and length.

"Where'd you get this from Kurama, err I mean Sensei? I didn't see you carrying this before a while ago." Naruto asked after he finished examining the gloves.

Kurama merely grinned like a fox and said "Sensei, huh... sounds like a cool title for me right now. But anyways, the glove came from, shall we say… a pocket dimension."

"Pocket dimension?"

Kurama nodded as he waved his hand as a small red portal appeared to float just beside him. "This is my personal pocket dimension. Each Keeper and Vanguard has one of their own. This is actually where the creator of sealing scrolls got their idea from. At least, that's what I've gathered from Konoha's library. Well, it didn't exactly say that the portal was from the Vanguards more like '-and as I read in the old records of people creating a different dimension for their necessities without carrying them-'end quote."

"Cool…" was Naruto only reply as he was looking at the portal in interest.

"You won't be able to create one for a while though, so don't go asking for it yet."

"Aww…"

Kurama looked amused for a moment before making the portal close. "Well, moving on from that, those gloves are something you would call as training gloves. It works as a support for those new to Mana. It acts as a beacon to any Mana that surrounds you or from the closest 'Path' so that you can use it to use spells and other skills. Think of the as crunches that people use."

Kurama made a motion for Naruto to wear and gloves and when he did, he instantly felt the power surrounding him. "Do you feel that?" Kurama asks as Naruto nodded

"Yeah, it kind feels like the Mana source a while ago. Although it doesn't exactly feel complete, it is still pretty warm and powerful."

Kurama nodded before continuing to where he left of earlier. "Now imagine yourself pulling that energy. I'll show you one of the more basic offensive spells of a Vanguard after you get used to the energy."

Naruto did as he was told and after a couple of seconds he can visibly see small gathering of light surround his hand like a mist. The diamond on the gloves also lit up with a small light blue flame floating in the center of the gem.

Kurama merely looked on before his voice changed and said **"Good, now stop and try it again. You must learn how to do it faster until you can get the mist to come in an instant. The faster you can do it, the faster you can use a spell. Those gloves are helping you so if you take them off it'll take longer for the Mana to gather." **

Naruto released his old and immediately tried to gather the Mana again before letting it dissipate. He continues this for a few hours with one or two breaks in between as the day moved on, while Kurama, kept on giving suggestions and comments as he observed Naruto.

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**(Uzumaki Clan Compound – Meeting room)**

Meanwhile, as Naruto continued to train with Mana and Kiba being preoccupied with his family, the Uzumaki were gathered discussing about the fate of Naruto in the clan.

The Chamber itself was simple and completely bare other than the seats and a long table in the center. Lined up on every part of the wall were privacy seals that would keep their meeting a secret.

Gathered inside were the elders, the clan head, and Naruto's parents, including Minato Namikaze who had been welcomed in the clan after his marriage with Kushina.

We see them now continuing a meeting with some arguments.

"I ask that all of you leave the boy alone…" came an old feminine voice from one of the elders. Her name was Uzumaki Haruka, one of the oldest but respected members. "The little one had already been treated as an outcast by the Majority of the clan and I can't bear to watch him go through something like this anymore."

One of the elders the seated right across from her table scoffed. "So even you agree that you don't want to see him around the clan anymore." He hated Haruka and was always against the red haired old woman, who looked no older than a 50 year old, when she was 81 in reality.

Part of why he hates the woman was because she had refused all of his advances when they were younger, with her choosing someone whom he considered beneath him.

Haruka narrowed her eyes and replied with a sharp tone "Don't assume anything about me Hitsori. I hold no ill will to the child. I simply can't stand the fact that his own _family_ treats him as a slave!"

Hitsori growled before answering back "How can that filth be part of the clan! He is a blemish to the clan's name! He holds no Chakra at all! Someone like him can never be a part of our family!"

Haruka replied just as strongly "Just because the child was born with a deficiency! Have you no shame! You should know better than anyone how hard it must be for him with two of your children being blind!"

Hitsori stood up menacingly "Don't bring up the failures of mine! If anyone hears of that then even MORE shame will come to the clan. I've taken drastic measures to keep those two from being seen by anyone else and I'd be damned if you ruin it!"

Haruka was about to retort but the clan head; Uzumaki Masanori slammed his hand on the table surprising everyone. "SILENCE!" he yelled.

"I have… decided on what must be done to the child…" His stern gaze looked at everyone in the room as they all stayed silent. They knew the power this man held, even Minato himself knows how this man's power is very close to his own.

Haruka waited as well, though part of her knows that whatever decision the clanhead makes cannot be challenged. She also knows that Masanori absolutely despises failures within the clan and will stop at nothing to improve the Uzumaki clan's reputation. She clenched her hands under the table in anticipation. She sincerely hoped that Masanori would give the little boy a chance.

Unfortunately... they were against the little boy.

"Naruto... shall be excommunicated from the CLAN!" Applause went around the room, although Haruka sighed wearily and visibly looked her age. 'I was afraid this would be the verdict. I can only hope that the child will be able to recover from this event…'

"He will no longer be allowed to carry the Uzumaki Name, as well as the Namikaze. I have listened to all your arguments - "

Haruka mentally scoffed 'Argument? I was the only one who was willing to give the child a chance…'

"- and talked with his _former_ parents, and as you can all see they have both agreed with my decision. I will give the _child_ two days to be informed to take any of his belongings before he can no longer step one foot inside. During the time those two days he is not to be harmed. Is. That. Clear?" Masanori emphasized the last part but Haruka can easily tell that his threat was empty.

Everyone nodded, although Haruka did it more out of custom than agreement, and left the room one by one.

After everyone left only Haruka, Kushina, Minato and Masanori were left inside.

"Is there a reason for your stay Haruka-san?" Masanori asked curiously. Haruka stared at them all making them all nervous. Just because she was old didn't mean she was powerless, both diplomatically and in combat. While she wouldn't be able to defeat any of the people in the room, she could still damage them considerable, both physically and by reputation.

However instead of answering she simply stood up and slowly walked away. Making the final three relax visibly relaxed. But before she left she said in a low and sad voice "I've never thought that I would see the clan we've worked so hard to keep alive fall to this level… to think, the clan was responsible for crushing the soul of an innocent child… I'm disappointed at it…"

Masanori didn't show it but he flinched in the inside. 'I'm sorry obaa-sama, but it was necessary, a failure like him would ruin the image of the Uzumaki.' He thought

While Minato and Kushina had the same thought as the clanhead.

Outside Haruka moved to the gardens and watched the koi fish swim in a pond. They were all gliding along the water creating a dance that was peaceful in the old woman's mind. "How the mighty have fallen… wouldn't you agree my love? Perhaps I should have fought harder, but it would seem that all I can do now is to pass on the message to the boy before the others get to him."

She spent a few more moments staring at the pond before she righted her posture and went back to her strong visage. "I can tell that the clan may regret the decision that it has made… and I will not partake in it anymore. Today's meeting was my last for I can no longer bear witness to the clan's path. Don't you agree Nobu?"

With that she left silently without emitting a single sound, her eyes shown with determination long forgotten, her task… to find and give comfort to Naruto. Who has suffered greatly from a clan she once loved. None of the other clansmen dared block her path, they knew of her reputation and the results of getting in her way.

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(Outside the Inuzuka clan compound)

Later that night Kiba was seen leaving the Inuzuka compound waving his last goodbye to his mother, quietly of course, while wearing a grey jacket, Black cargo pants and his new wolf shaped beanie hat. He would have stayed until tomorrow but he wanted to make sure that no one else knew that he was leaving, that and he was excited to start his training as a Vanguard.

Kiba was a very happy kid. He had so much fun with his family in this day than any others. Although he can't use the Inuzuka name temporarily, he was still pretty happy since he knows that most of the clan actually accepted him now, although some are still skeptical and weary but that's to be expected.

He sighed wistfully as he rushed ahead. One of his hands held on to his beanie as he ran quickly. Unfortunately his eyes were closed so he accidentally bumped into someone and he fell on the ground.

"Hey!" he reflexively called out. The figure in front of him seemed concerned as she said "Oh, I'm sorry, young one. I wasn't paying attention and didn't see you running."

Kiba blinked a little as he stood up with the help of the lady in front of him and recognized her instantly. "Uh, sorry Uzumaki-sama, I wasn't paying attention to so no I was probably the one at fault."

Haruka, the Uzumaki that Kiba bumped into, merely smiled and said "No worries child. In fact you could say that we had bumped into each other at a perfect time."

Kiba merely blinked and looked at her with a puzzled look.

"I was actually going to inform Little Naruto about… something that my clan has done." Haruka looked weary and Kiba noticed her sad looked. He shifted in his feet as he wasn't sure what he should do. "Can I trust that you tell your friend how… the clan had… excommunicated him."

Kiba froze. "Yo-you're kidding right? I-I mean Naruto didn't have a good relationship with his family but they wouldn't blatantly strip him of his name right?"

To his dismay Haruka merely shook her head and patted Kiba's head. "I'm sorry; please tell Naruto that should he need any help, Haruka Uzumaki will be open to his pleas. I would also like to apologize to him; I alone was not enough to keep him from getting banished." With that Haruka slowly moved away and walked without a destination.

Kiba on the other hand remained standing still, shocked at what the Clan had done to his bestfriend/little brother. "No, Naruto still believed that he would be accepted, no matter how he doesn't show it…" he sprinted once again towards the hidden passageway that Kurama's clone brought him to. "Hopefully, Kurama managed to lessen Naruto's hope. This could break him!"

He rushed and had no other thought but to make sure that no one else would tell that news to Naruto. His little brother is going to be hurt and he will make sure that he is there to make sure that Naruto will be alright.

As he ran thought he completely missed a girl who managed to hear what Haruka had said.

She looked at Kiba's disappearing form sadly before murmuring. "Be careful… Naruto… Kiba" She looked at the direction Kiba left before leaving. Her father would probably be worried sick about now.

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**(Courtyard of Spirits – Crystal training grounds)**

Back to the training room, Naruto can be seen sleeping under a pillar with a red blanket draped over him. Kurama on the other was placing a hand over the burned mark on the floor. He glanced at Naruto's sleeping form before smirking and standing up with glowing red eyes. **"This kid has more promise than I thought. Not bad for a first day of training… now I should probably greet the second Vanguard."**

With that his form flickered before he disappeared in a black mist.

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**AN: Hello again, sorry if this was published pretty late. I kind of lost my inspiration and thought process for a while. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed it. Oh and I haven't proofread this yet, It's pretty late out here so I might do it at a later date.**

**Please review though, so that I can see how I can improve. Thanks and goodnight!**


	7. Chapter 6

The Shadow of Mana

Chapter 6

**AN: Hello again. Just wanted to say that the pole result for Kiba's partner was a landslide. 10 to 6 to 1 to 0. Sheesh no one likes the dog poor Canon Akamaru. Although I think I might still name his partner as Akamaru for all intents and purposes.**

**Oh to the CU people, thanks for the in debt constructive criticism. With it I'll try to improve my story. I hope I do it right this time…**

**Anyways cue the mysterious title announcer!**

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

_**Silent tears Begone! Prepare to escape little fox!**_

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_November 13_

_It's here! It's here! Guess what? The pretty lights are floating right above our town! They're so BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG!_

_Plus, plus there is this big Mister who arrived at town today! He looked mysterious…. (Ne you like that word? I just learned it), and he was a bit weird. I haven't met him yet though but he didn't stay that long. He just left after the second day… that was weiiiiird._

_But anyways, my Big Brother was here and together we made 4 paintings, though his was better than mine. But no problem soon I'll be better than he is! Just you wait!_

_I wish you can see them but you're a book right? Ehehe. Sorry, better luck next time!_

_Oh, it's getting really late, I have to go to bed soon. _

_Goodnight Mr. Diary!_

_ Elie Korrin_

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**(Courtyard of Spirits – Crystal training grounds)**

It's been two weeks since Naruto learned of his status. Two weeks of pent-up frustration exploding underground, safe from prying eyes. It had hurt him, but in the end he felt lighter and free, as if belonging to the Uzumaki clan did more harm than good.

It was fortunate that Kiba and Kurama were present to help him cope with the sadness before Naruto would have ended up in depression.

But that was in the past; Naruto managed to stand up again and started to think about how he can finally do some things without getting berated or trouble by the clan. His still recovering mind you, but he isn't letting that stop him anymore.

We see him now with both hands enveloped by fire standing about 300 meters away from a stone statue with a red gem at the top and a bullseye in the center point. His eyes dilated as he moved, ; his right arm moved upwards with the pointer finger up, while his left arm went down diagonally with its own pointer finger facing the ground.

The clear diamonds attached to his gloves shone with a brilliant crimson light as he made a clockwise motion with both hands creating a circular trail of fire. A radiant aura of heat surrounded him acting as a protector incase an intruder tries to disrupt the person channeling it to a singular point.

"_**Flare Cannon"**_ he whispered.

Immediately a singular bolt of fire shot forward from the center of the circle. Its flame increased before accelerating to a blinding speed creating a deafening shockwave heard throughout the entire room. It collided with the statue sending dust clouds around it while obscuring it from the view.

This all happened in the span of 5 seconds.

Naruto stood still silently gazing at the dust cloud with his sharp eyes, enhanced through the power of Mana. The fiery aura surrounding his form died down as his muscles relaxed and sighed deeply.

"Impressive kid," came Kurama's voice "but not enough." Naruto didn't even bother to look at him as his attention still concentrated on the lingering dust cloud before his eye twitched as he grumbled in an annoyed manner.

What could cause his annoyance? The statue remaining unharmed and untouched, that's what.

As the cloud cleared, it revealed a big stone statue of a sword imbedded on the ground surrounded by a transparent barrier emanating from the gem sitting on top of the stone hilt. The ground surrounding it ended up scorched and had a donut shaped crater with only an inch or two away from the sword in the center. The barrier itself is littered with cracks and damages, but nonetheless, the sword remained intact and unharmed.

"Don't feel bad now kid, it takes a lot of power before that barrier breaks. Even veterans have a hard time breaking it in one attack."

Naruto grumbled a bit more before nodding and smiling a bit at his sensei. "At least I successfully launched that right?"

Kurama scoffed and deflated Naruto's growing bubble. "You launched it yes, but it took you a while before you even managed to start casting it. You already have the gloves to help you gather Mana and it still took too long for combat use. Do you expect them to wait for you like a gentleman?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Kurama may be nice but his blunt about skill and power, especially when one lacks them.

"**INCOMING!" **

"**ARRROOO!"**

Naruto's eyes widened comically before he hastily jumped away from his previous location. He tumbled and laid on the ruin's floor covering his head with his arms as another dust cloud was created in the room.

After a short while Kurama merely looked on with a raised eyebrow as Naruto stood up and glared at the offender.

Low and behold in the center of the crater was the second student of the Nine tailed Keeper, and the brother in all but blood of Naruto; none other than Kiba, and his animal partner Akamaru.

Akamaru was a Mana beast that managed to find a bond with Kiba. He is still pretty young and well known for being playful and active. Akamaru quickly warmed up to Kiba and got along nicely with Naruto and Kurama, although the latter does hate it when Akamaru gives him some Wolf-slobber as he calls it.

Kiba didn't change after his temporary exile; he did however receive his own pair of training gloves from Kurama. His fuzzy black wolf ears still remained on top of his head twitching at random times.

Kiba merely smiled brightly and scratched the Azure colored head of Akamaru who sat on his arms as if he and his partner didn't create an explosion where Naruto was standing.

"What's up Naruto?" Kiba asked innocently. "What's up!?" Naruto repeated incredulously "You almost hit me with one of your electronically charged combos and all you can ask is what's up?"

Akamaru, who was still on Kiba's arms, raised his head revealing that the lower half of his face and body had white fur. His Crystal blue canine eyes looked curiously at a ranting Naruto with his head tilted to one side. Internally he was laughing at Naruto and Kiba's entertaining interactions. Hey even a wolf cub like him can get bored once in a while. He yawned again and used a paw to try and scratch the sapphire blue gem on his forehead. It itches very badly… why won't his human sla- partner scratch it now. Oh yeah, Kiba was still trying to placate an irate Naruto…joy.

Kurama on the other hand was simply shaking his head at the two boys. He was however happy to find that the two are starting to get a bit livelier than they were before. He can't have depressed Vanguards watching over the Mana stream. Kami knows what'll happen to the already deteriorating world.

He glanced at the two boys again before walking around the old, yet beautiful ruins of the courtyard, once a place teeming with Vanguards and their allies; now left abandoned and uncared for. Every step he took sent him a memory of his time here, oh how this Keeper missed those bright and easygoing days.

Now all that's left are the Mana Beasts, two fledgling Vanguards in training, and the small amount of Keepers that are still under corruption. As for the allies of the Vanguards, he has no clue whether any of them still survived today; The Pack Masters, The Navigators, The Seers, and other allies. Perhaps they were alive, but for now Kurama still remains in the dark.

As Kurama kept moving he ended up going back to the Concentration of Mana. It shouldn't stay motionless for long, he'll need to teach the boys how to create the 'streams' soon and create a temporary new concentration point. Perhaps the old tunnels underneath the Sea Cavern still stand.

Thinking about the boys, these lead him to reminisce all that they have learned and achieved. True to his assumption both boys took Mana training like a fish to water. Both were naturals in the art, but they did have obvious weaknesses. Naruto still takes too long before he can gather the right amount of Mana while Kiba has trouble with ranged skills especially water and fire based ones. Even the basic once like Fireball and Waterball gives him a hard time.

That's not to say that they don't have any strengths of their own. Naruto's a quick learner and his spells are powerful for his skill level making him a very wide ranged spell user. Kiba was a powerhouse for guerilla tactics. His surprise attacks and precision are well executed and very dangerous, especially when he started with trying to incorporate Akamaru who is able to sense and find anyone close enough for his advanced senses and Akamarus Natural connection with Water.

Kurama mused and had planned on changing their training. He's been focusing more on fire since that was his realm of expertise lies and has limited access to higher level spells and skills from other elements.

Perhaps he should start Naruto to focus on Wind based spells, he taught one to Naruto and so far he managed to cast it faster than other elements. Kiba on the other hand should be introduced to either Electricity, not lightning, or Nature as his way of combat seem to suit those elements, especially if he learned Electricity as it can augment with the water attacks that Akamaru will learn in the future.

Alas, Kurama would have thought more but an explosion from the courtyard cut his train of thought. He probably shouldn't have introduced Naruto those highly explosive fire-spells, but one can't exactly change the past bar historical books. The ones he saw and heard being taught in the ninja academy are very different from the ones he saw in the sealed records deep within the tower.

Honestly, how lax can the security be? True he can turn invisible to the naked eye but there was absolutely no one guarding the hidden archives. Maybe he went in and left during rotation hours? Who cares…?

One thing was for sure, they can't stay in these ruins for long. They'll need to move soon so that the trainees will get some outside experience.

"Tomorrow…" Kurama murmured before teleporting back to where Naruto and Kiba trained once more "I'll get them to see the world and start their duties as entry-level Vanguards."

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**(Hokage Tower)**

Back in Konoha two people were sitting in silence inside the tower of the Hokage.

"You still think we did the right thing and agree Minato?" asked Naruto's red haired Mother, Kushina to her husband.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, Naruto will have less pressure on him, and have more freedom if his banished from the clan." replied a tired father. "I hate this decision as much as you do but you've seen how others in the clan treat him. Although I suppose it was my fault for not giving time for him…"

Minato placed his head over his tired arms who sat on top of the red desk filled neatly with organized paperwork. His wife placed a hand on his shoulders and said in a sad and regretful tone. "No, it was both our fault. But I still don't know what changed Arashi, he used to be so protective of his little brother when he was younger."

Minato sighed as he and his wife turned to the window to see their eldest son lying down on a rooftop lazily while holding on to something neither of them can see.

"I don't know Kushina… I don't know…"

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**(With Arashi)**

Ignorant of his parent's conversation, Arashi remained alone and looked at a small metal pendant of a kunai he wears on a necklace. His eyes were unfocused yet hid something mysterious in them.

The pendant itself wasn't special, nothing different to what others bought from one of the more popular shops, but for Arashi, this was his sacred treasure. One he will always bring everywhere with him.

He swore he would protect the person who gave this to him and from that day, he silently swore himself in an oath of his own blood that he would protect this person and his family… he'll sacrifice everything and ruin his own life, as long as they are safe from him… even at the cost of his own happiness and life.

For their protection he must cast away and wallow in his own world away from the trigger. Or risk losing _everything_ to _it._

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**(?)**

_Drip….drip….drip…_

Shadows and Darkness. That's the only thing two figures know. Captured and trapped inside a cage shipped by slavers and black-market salesmen. They have never felt the hold freedom in a 3 months yet one of them smiled silently, while she held on to her little brother inside the same cage.

"…"

"Yeah Sis?"

_Drip…_

"You really 'saw' it?"

"…"

"I'm glad… soon, we'll be free right?"

"…"

"I love you to sis. I hope we get to see the ancient lights to…"

Silence once again. Their captors will never know what the two occupants of the dark and rusty cage talked about as they stayed hidden behind several others filled with animals and containers hiding drugs and weapons. Nothing but the silent drops of water inside a rocking wet ship.

_Drip….drip….drip….drip_

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**Who were the two chained together inside the cage? Why was Arashi acting different? Was there something more to Naruto's boisterous and selfish brother than meets the eye? The world is filled with mysteries… never trust the words immediately… after all, I haven't revealed the three voices from an older chapter yet have I? *smiles mysteriously***

**AN: Hi… uhh sorry about the time it took for me to publish this. I got a bit sidetracked and was thinking about this idea. I'm also sorry to see that's it's kinda shorter than the others.**

**You see I was thinking of an Okami and Naruto idea where Naruto gets all the powers of the brushgods and has the same powers as Amaterasu from the game Okami.**

**I was thinking of maybe making him the Envoy of Amaterasu. Although I'm not sure if I'll do this, but if anyone is interested in this idea pm me and feel free to write about it. Oh and I also have other ideas on the lower part of my profile, anyone interested can go ahead and look, if you guys want to try a hand in any of them pm me please.**

**Anyways thanks for reading this. If you have any ideas for the story, feel free to pm me or put in the review.**

**Thanks again.**


	8. Chapter 7

The Shadow of Mana

Chapter 7

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

_**Remember the history of life, hold your own power and discover the sleeping elements of the world!**_

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

_December 29_

_Hi again Mr. Diary!_

_Today was very exciting, but I'm also kinda sad… Michael managed to get one of the Vanguards that stay here in Floureso to teach him. I was right after all, but I'm sad because my big brother had to leave us. *sniff*_

_I know I shouldn't be sad, after all he did promise that he'll be back he even made a pinky promise!_

_Well, I wish I could have gone with him. But they say I'm too young… plus their not sure if I can be one yet. Not fair… I see other my age leave to see the world…_

_But I'll take care of mama and papa first! Then maybe when I grow up I'll get to see what the other towns and cities look like._

_Well, I'm going now, bye bye!_

_~Elie Korrin_

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**(Historical Records)**

Humans are fickle beings. One who may have established itself as the top of the proverbial food chain, yet lack certain qualities that other "lesser" beings possess. For example, no matter how a human tries, they can never defeat the tracking capabilities predators in the wild, which includes night vision, Sonar, and even scent.

However they did possess high intellect and ingenuity that animals may lack (Including opposable thumbs to most animals). With their creativity they managed to create weapons stronger than the claws and fangs of animals, they trained their bodies to be stronger and compensate with tactics and traps. Another major advantage that they have were Jutsus that current shinobi used. This easily elevated their threat levels among the animals, although that didn't stop the other beings to evolve and improve their own arsenal.

New breeds like the Kikachu insects used by the Aburame clan easily defeat any unsuspecting ninja and prove to be deadly creatures. Animal Summons also started to appear, proving that there is intellect among races different from Humanity.

But intellect comes at a high risk. Deceit and lies root beneath even the noblest intellectuals hoping to gain fame and achievement and become well known. Civilizations clash and the ethics of morality get challenged at every possible angle.

Humans have always been susceptible with these yet how come the sentient animals, especially the summons, don't experience the same problems as much as humanity does?

Instinct

That is the simple answer. Human have a more primal state when they didn't all their advantages of their weaponry and Jutsu, yet as they start to find out about these they start to become more and more 'civilized' and while this isn't a negative occurrence it does remove their more animalistic calls and connections to Nature. The Animals have no need of democracy, reputation among them isn't as important as who was the strongest. Who was the Alpha, who can lead, who was the leader. They have no interests in overruling someone stronger; they have no need of deceit and lies among their kind.

There can never be true peace among mankind as long as the aura of jealousy, pride and arrogance run rampant. Peace can be created but it is simply an illusion. Without war peace can never exist, yet without peace war would never emerge.

People in peace will remain looking for warfare, and people in war would seek peace to end the suffering and torment.

The Vanguards knew this. They knew that no matter how many idealists stand up and spread their knowledge there is an equal antithesis that will stand to cause torment and harm challenging that idealist. Eventually two factions will clash yet fight toward peace in the end before the cycle starts again giving only a small reprieve.

Vanguards had always been thought not to fight for and against peace or warfare unless it will destroy all the life they are tasked to protect. No Vanguard shall fight for an army unless their enemy seeks to destroy everything alive or disrupt and endanger the flow of Mana. They are allowed to protect the innocents and parties outside of those fighting. They are also allowed to protect the children and heal all the injured from any side should they seek help. But in return no one must try to attack areas under their protection or fight in their domains. People being healed will not be segregated by faction and must avoid combat while under their care or risk the wrath of the Vanguards in charge of healing them.

They held the respect of everyone and are known to help act as neutral observers and teachers. They held no bias and had been drilled with discipline and respect. Having a person become a Vanguard had always been a big deal among villages and families, as their sons or daughters take the titles of 'The Watchers of Life' among other things.

In all recorded History no one has ever dared engage any Vanguards save for two factions. To place it mildly, both factions never lasted a weak and end up getting humbled and humiliated. The Vanguards are not corrupt, for they cannot afford to be. They don't accept offering of riches and glory as they have all the popularity they need. No earthly riches or gifts can compare to their loyalty to protect the essence of Mana. From their first encounter of the stream, they recognize the gravity of their duty and how important it is for them to keep the streams alive.

In a way, this is also the reason why the Sage of the Six Paths had so much trouble spreading his own ideals to the world. Some parts were never truly converted to Chakra and had simply threatened the Sage to get out of their lands before they kill him on site.

His main believers were those among the elemental countries, which is why he made sure that they were isolated and trained in the art of Chakra. Others may have thought that he was simply resting before he fought against the Juubi, but in reality, he had been trying to convince the people outside the elemental Continents about his view of the world. Others may have been swayed eventually, especially their younger generations, but there are still those who remember the old protectors of life. The Kingdoms and Empires may have eventually hidden records of Mana till they were forgotten but they have never truly believed in the Sage. The world may be changing and the Kingdoms and Empires may have forgotten like the elemental continents, but there were still legends and myths foretold by bards and the ruins long past their prime recalling the age when Vanguards roamed the earth keeping it from slowly descending into ruin.

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**(Courtyard of Spirits – Concentration Point)**

It's been two weeks since Kurama changed the training of the Vanguards-in-training. Four weeks since Naruto's clan removed him from their sights and started their training.

Prior to the two weeks, Naruto and Kiba were trained to recognize and feel the flow of Mana. They were both introduced to the gravity and how endless flowing energy felt, and they were trained to use them to attack and defend.

The first week focused on control and execution. They were given a basic spell, which acted like the Clone Jutsu with minor differences such as the needed actions for creation and the time they last. At first both boys were curious as to how different this was to Chakra and Kurama simply informed them that the difference between the two won't exactly be clear enough to understand until they access the higher tier skills and spells. They were also starting some light physical exercises and were given a more detailed tour on the ruins.

In their second week, they were introduced to Kurama's main element of expertise: Fire. To start it off, Kurama showed unbelievable fire spells and the power behind all of them would defeat any fire ninjutsu expert any day. After a few days it was obvious that Kiba had trouble with fire and Naruto was still too slow in gathering Mana. True they made progress but neither of them had the capacity to become an adept to flames like Kurama is. He also introduced them to the other elements but had specifically gave them instructions to never practice those yet without his supervision as he wasn't an expert in them as much as he was to fire.

For the third week Naruto and Kiba were given a more in depth history of Vanguards, much to their dismay. Although their reluctance was easily replaced with wonder as they learn some of the exploits that the Vanguards had done. Some of them lacked details but that's because Kurama hadn't been present in those. They've also started incorporating challenging exercises to improve their overall physique and fitness. There wouldn't be a day where they ended up breathing hard and have exhausted muscles. They were also starting to learn how to start the Mana streams needed to "open up the skies once again," so to speak. Akamaru had also started trying to call out his own water spells, which weren't that strong… yet.

The fourth week was the start of the other elements. Naruto was given a couple of Wind elemental spells while Kiba was given Electricity. The results were simply outstanding. Naruto was a natural with Wind as was Kiba with his own element. Unfortunately Kurama isn't exactly the best in using those elements so both of them can only access second tier spells before they might potentially hurt themselves with the other tiers. Kurama can only help and guarantee a safe training with fire elemental spells, the rest would be rather difficult and Kurama does not want them to injure themselves severely injure themselves in their current location. It was also during the fourth week that they removed their training gloves. While their casting speed was obviously slowed, they managed to regain some of their speed back to an acceptable level (by Kurama's terms anyways).

So far Kurama was pretty sure that they can easily defeat Genins but possibly have a difficult time with decent level Chunins due to experience. Jonins can still easily defeat Naruto and Kiba but Kurama intends to make them capable of at least stalling them for a long time before the end of next month.

But for now Kurama finally decided to allow them to have their own staves which every Vanguard had back in the old days. Now the staves are very important to the Vanguards. Each stave is different, as they represent their wielder. Staves may have very close similarities, especially with Vanguards who are related to each other, like mother and daughters, or close friends with the same personalities.

Getting back on track, the staves basically increases the capability of the Vanguards to attract Mana and pull it towards their position. Only the strongest Vanguards can create and repair the streams without the Staves. Staves also amplify the powers of a Vanguard doubling their spell power and lessen the strain to the users Stamina. While Mana will eventually be endless (because for now it slowly starts to decrease) a person's stamina isn't.

Which leads us to one of the main differences between Mana and Chakra, Mana for all intents and purposes can continually be used by the user as long as they have the energy while Chakra is limited and it also takes a toll on the users' stamina, though not as much as Mana does.

"**Naruto, Kiba come here." **Kurama called out with his deeper and more powerful voice. His charges were doing separate things in different areas in the ruins so he had to use his power-laced voice to get their attention.

His voice resonated all over the ruins and was easily heard by the two trainees. The first one who heard it was Kiba who black hair flattened over his head, instead of its usual spiky appearance, due to perspiration. He stretched his drenched body and picked up a tattered black shirt which was what remained of his old upper attire. His beanie hat had long been stored in a pocket dimension, courtesy of Kurama.

"C'mon boy, Sensei's calling." He told his partner Akamaru who had grown a bit since he first met Kiba by an inch or two and his Azure fur gaining a slightly darker shade.

His faithful partner barked happily and jumped out a small pond he had been standing on before heading towards Kurama's current location.

"Hey wait up!" Kiba yelled as he ran after Akamaru, completely disregarding the fact that he was currently shirtless showing a pretty impressive build for a seven year old. The muscles aren't as evident as they would be to an adolescent teenager but impressive nonetheless. Kurama knew that trying to build too much muscle at this early of an age could potentially stunt their growth so he had focused on their stamina (which both had plenty of) instead of power building, which will be done when they grew older to avoid any potential problems.

The next person to hear it was none other than Naruto, the former clan member of the Uzumaki. After four weeks the final lingering sadness that had remained were removed. Naruto may have lost any respect that he could have felt towards the clan, be he didn't hate them outright. Oh he won't forgive them, but he'll more or less tolerate the clan. After all he was finally free to do whatever he wanted so he doesn't really feel any need to be accepted back.

Unlike Kiba who had been training his physical prowess, Naruto was lying down under a crystal tree; numerous Crystal birds surrounded him and looked like he was relaxing to the casual observer. But he was far from relaxing. After all, where did the wind come from? Sure the occasional breeze would travel in the ruins but there hasn't been any strong force of wind present like they had been when the ruins weren't underground.

Naruto opened his eyes and stood up before shaking off certain parts of his body due to the time of inactivity with them. The birds all flew away chirping different melodies as they scattered in the ruins.

He yawned for a bit before grinning and ran to Kurama's direction. His speed was pretty impressive due to the wind that he uses as each step pushed a concentrated amount of wind allowing him to accelerate and maneuver over obstacle rather easily.

When he arrived he saw a panting Kiba sitting down on a pillar that had fallen a long time ago while Akamaru was sitting down beside him with his Azure and white tipped tail waving back and forth happily.

"Glad to see you arrived kid" Kurama said, with a more Humanlike voice. "Go with Kiba and I'll explain why I called you two here."

Naruto merely nodded and glided towards Kiba like his feet never touched the ground. Kiba muttered a low 'show-off' that only Naruto heard before blowing him a raspberry. Kiba merely rolled his eyes.

"Ok, enough and pay attention up-front." Ordered Kurama

Kurama then summoned metal red stave in a swarm of fire. He twirled it around for a bit like a bo-staff revealing its versatility and the red ruby magically floating at the tip of the stave. He slammed the butt end on the ground making a red circle appear just below it and conjuring nine tails from the sides of the magical circle completely made out of pure red energy. He slammed it again breaking the circle and the tails like broken glass, scattering glass like shards of red energy. As soon as the shards scattered they all started to gather around the gem before nine smaller segmented tails form with a golden ring just below the ruby. They kept getting longer as they reached just about an inch or two away from the ground. Kurama exhaled deeply as he stared at the two boys with a powerful aura.

"**Do you remember what this is?" **He asked them. When they made a positive answer he smiled and continued talking. **"As you remember this is a stave. All Vanguards have them, and Keepers, such as me, can create our own should we wish it. As I have told you staves increase the power of spells casted by those who use them, they may also act as a weapon but they're not as effective as the ones designed for close combat.**

**They will also be crucial in the maintenance and restoration of the Mana pathways by making it easier to attract Mana from the source, which is only limited to this one, as you can see. I have already seen that you can start the streams, but it takes a while and staves will help you there."**

Kiba and Naruto kept listening though they were both wondering what Kurama will end this with.

"**Now you're probably wondering why I reminded you two. Well, as I've observed this Concentration point, I've thought for a while and had decided that your levels are decent enough to start restoring the pathways, and to do that both of you will need staves of your own."**

Kiba and Naruto both jumped up excitedly. "You mean?"

Kurama smirked ferally. **"Of course, you'll get your own personal staves, and you'll finally be able to leave this village."**

"Yes!" They shouted together as they gave each other a High five. Akamaru understood as well and yipped happily with his tail wagging faster and faster in happiness.

Both of them were told that they'd get to explore and were very, very excited about it. Neither of them has ever left the village walls for more than a few meters and this would be like a once in a lifetime experience for them. Well, they would have continued celebrating until two simple wooden rods sailed towards them at high speeds and nailed them in the chest.

Both of them groaned in pain before glaring at Kurama who was placing a foxy innocent smile. Akamaru was laughing, well as much as a dog shows laughter, and was rolling on the stone floor.

"**Now-" **he continued all to happily as if he didn't do anything wrong **"-get those two rods and channel Mana from your body to it. Remember it has to be from your ENTIRE body got it?"**

The two grumbled before making an affirmative nod each. They stood up and went to different spots just in front of Kurama and the Concentration of Mana behind him. They closed their eyes as they felt the embrace of the Energy that kept everything alive surround their entire body. They opened their eyes which glowed with power, Naruto with light green and Kiba with an electrical blue, and held the wooden rods in front of them. Without any hesitation both slammed their rods on the ground just as Kurama had done with his fiery stave earlier. To no one's surprise the entire dome filled with power radiating from the two kids, each of them feeling something different as their staff started to form.

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

(**Naruto's World)**

Naruto felt like he was in the center of a typhoon. Wind swirled around him producing a light green show of bright light swirling uncontrollably. His vision blurred as the ruins disappeared from his view and floor gave away like a million pieces of jig-saw puzzles. In its place was a swirling whirlpool, but the difference was that instead of the cool and ravenous waters were the intense heat of flowing magma. The winds around him started to form shapes as he was suddenly encircled by green birds, each producing wild and uncontrollable winds. There where millions of them, he couldn't count them all through their sheer speed and number.

_Behold…_

Came a whispering voice that resonated all over Naruto's world.

_Behold the wielder of the skies-_

The birds suddenly flew faster and a funnel of wind surrounded the staff the he held.

-_and the King of fire…_

The whirlpool of magma slowly start to climb up the rod as Naruto was forced to let go of it as a force pulled it just in front of Naruto.

_Wield us with your might and bring back the safety of Mana to our lands…_

A bright light shone from the rod… no stave, as the firestorm of magma and winds collide creating a storm of energy clashing with power. Naruto was forced to cover his eyes with an arm as the power of the elements form the stave which he will use to restore the flow of Mana to the world. When everything cleared a metallic stave rested in Naruto outstretched hand. The design of the stave's body was simply magnificent. The color of light green and clashed as if it was containing an eternal firestorm powered by the tornadoes of the sky. There wasn't a single gem on the tip but rather, there were two gems levitating on top of the tip. They weren't shaped like gems though, it's more like the emerald and the Ruby were forming a wisp of flame neither gem touched each other at the top but they were combined at the bottom as if they were lit from the same source. The stave wasn't done there. Like Kurama had done, Naruto wondered what would happen if he slammed the red rimmed bottom on the floor and low and behold feathered white wings emerged from the stave as a ring of fire circled the two gems. The white wings seemed to extend as each small flap gathered visible winds and wisps of fire, and even if he didn't notice an image of a phoenix emerged behind him before dissipating in the winds.

_Welcome wielder, the winds and flames are your to command. Use us wisely and let us help you restore our world…_

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**(Kiba's World)**

At the same time as Naruto's stave started to form Kiba's own rod started to choose its own.

Kiba felt energized yet he couldn't move and burn out the energy. His whole body was the center of an orb of electricity that danced along his flesh and ran along his own rod. The rod itself was glowing with power filled with the destructive force of lightning. But that wasn't all. Like his surrogate little brother the ruins disappeared from Kiba's world as he was suddenly surrounded by fauna of different kinds, trees as tall as the highest mountains grew quickly like someone had increased the flow of time, wild grass flowing harshly under the stormy lightning storm that seemed to never end.

The rod detached itself from Kiba's hands as the storms grew stronger and Nature itself come alive around him, before a strong and firm voice spoke with the tone of a Royal Member

_Beware the strength of Electricity Lightning and Thunder!_

The storm grew stronger as forks of lightning came down the rod as it acted like a lightning rod (AN: I thought I made a pun!) and electricity flew wildly around it as if an infinite amount of charges blew up and the stream of power never scattered.

Just as it was as its peak a richer and melodious voice came, but still contained the tone of a Royal which demanded respect

_Hold on to the path of Nature and the Wild…_

The plants stopped growing yet leaves, twigs, earth, and the plants seemed to shrink quickly and flow around the stave like the tornado of Naruto's own. The leaves formed patterns imitating animals running wild and rampant with no one to stop or control them. He can hear the screeches and roars, the howls and the growls, and finally he heard the two voices join as one in speaking their last phrases

_Wield us with power young one, we allow you into our domain _

_Do not waste it and do not falter in your journey_

_And restore the essence of life to our WORLD!_

The voices stopped as the elements created one final blast of sound making Kiba's wolf ears ring and deaf for a few short lapses of time.

He opened his eyes, which he shut when the light became too bright, and gazed up the floating scepter that approached his outstretched hands. The rod itself was still wood, but it felt stronger than any metal forged by man's hand and arched with electricity every time his hands moved so much as a finger. Unlike his mentor and surrogate brother's staves, his own lacked the gems the sat up the tip of their bodies. In their place was the tip of a spear serrated with the blades of Lightning, Vines wrapped around the blade as each movement he makes leaves a trail of shards, which upon closer inspection, seemed like gems before they disintegrate into sparks.

Like Naruto he slammed his stave to the ground once more and a clap of thunder echoed as lightning and Earth appeared at the very tip of the blade before a transparent crystal emerged and encompassed the entire blade. The vies grew longer extending to the main body of the stave as they transformed into roots and slowly reach out loosely to were his hands held the stave. His hair became wilder as well with his mind connecting to his animalistic instincts as he let out a resounding growl.

_Stay strong young one, we shall guide your hand and be reunited with the worlds life. Remain courageous and powerful wielder…_

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**(Courtyard of Spirits)**

Kurama looked nostalgic before he closed his eyes and turned around quickly facing the concentration of Mana and raised his staff which came to life with fire swirling around him. More specifically, foxfire.

He didn't need to know if they succeeded or not, he had trained them to a point where they cannot fail and he raised the staff higher. His eyes burned with a passion long gone as the majestic image of a nine tailed fox appeared behind him, very different from the wild and malicious form he had been forced to trap himself in, and howled into the night.

"**NOW!" **He shouted at the two boys, his eyes never leaving the Concentration **"Imagine the path to open! The time for restoration has Begun!"**

The two boys wasted no time as the elements came alive around them. The Swirling Mass Energy that has remained stationary and stagnant started to swirl quickly. Faster. Faster. Faster!

Its speed and power resembled the orb of power that the Yondame Hokage created only more majestic and more powerful. Three Bulges from different sides emerged and started to create a longer line.

Decades of disuse caused it to rift and resist the pull of the three casters yet none of them gave in. Sweat ran on their foreheads as they focused their powers to restart the slowly degrading system.

"**DON'T GIVE IN!"** Kurama shouted, years had they failed yet now is the time for a new era, an era where the world desperately need its lifeblood moving before it destroys itself.** "I'VE TRAINED YOU TWO FOR THIS MOMENT TO START! I WILL NOT FAIL ANOTHER GENERATION! ROUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGG GGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"**

An explosion, and then… silence… before the bulge returned to the sphere and reappeared faster and stronger separating into three separate states. Pulses of power appeared as they scatter along the ruins like wires that live.

The beasts howled and cried and the skies above the world created storms and rained its tears of happiness as they feel the thirst for life connect and reappear.

With that Mana has awakened and no longer had to remain in this decaying environment. The Age of Mana shall be reborn and life will one more be GUARDED AND PROTECTED BY THE VANGUARDS OF THE NEW GENERATION!

**T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T=T**

**So uhh, how do you guys like it?**

**Tell me since I've tried to make it a little bit longer… but I'm not sure on how I've done.**

**Anyways here it is! Oh yeah college is starting on Monday so I won't be able to update much. But in any case tell me how you found it?**


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